When you wish upon a wishing star
by preciouslittletoonette
Summary: It's Mother's Day in Auradon and Mal is not amused for reasons we all know. After losing control of her magic when Audrey taunts her, Mal makes a wish on an infamous wishing star, and receives a whole lot more than she bargained for. Based on the Villain series by Serena Valentino. Part 1 of my new Series 'Family'.
1. Chapter 1: A day to be dreading

**I've got to stop getting these new story ideas but I liked this one SO much. I hope you'll enjoy this story! Happy Reading**!

Chapter 1: A day to be dreading

Students bounced across the courtyard of Auradon Prep in excitement. Many students were carrying decorations and tables around for the event they have all been waiting for.

Well... maybe not all of them.

Mal stood bitterly to the side, leaning against the wall as she watched her excited school mates put things in order. She was placed in charge of creating flower bouquets for the queens that will be arriving tomorrow.

Tomorrow was a special day. A day that everyone across Auradon had been waiting for. An event more important than even Family Day. For you see, tomorrow is a day that everyone loves.

Mother's Day

Despite many heroes and royals not knowing their mothers or were raised by the cruel villains that lived on the Isle, their children wanted to make the best of it because they had their mothers to celebrate it with.

Which was the main reason for Mal's bitterness.

" Calm down, will you. Your eyes are glowing", Evie chided," I thought you had your magic under control".

After Mal had turned into a dragon at the cotillion, her magic had begun acting up, causing random bursts of magic at the worst times. Such as now.

Mal sighed, but her eyes hadn't stopped glowing," It's this stupid holiday and-".

" Audrey's bragging about her mother coming tomorrow. That's what's bothering you", Evie guessed.

" Sometimes I wished she would stop reminding me my mom's a lizard", Mal grumbled before admitting sadly," She's getting smaller, E".

Evie placed a comforting hand on Mal's shoulder, rubbing it soothingly as the half-fae mourning over the possibility of losing her mother. She wished she could do more, but she hasn't lost her own mother and the Evil Queen had requested a video call so she could spend time with her daughter on Mother's Day. So any word of comfort Evie could provide for her sister in all but blood would be dismissed coldly.

" How's my eyes? Did they stop glowing?", Mal asked.

Evie cringed," Just... one of them", she said.

Mal frowned as Evie handed her a mirror to look into. The former gasped when she found her left eye completely normal and her right eye still glowing.

" What the heck?! This has never happened for me", Mal shrieked.

" Calm down. Maybe it will fade if you fully calm down", Evie said.

" How can I calm down if my one eye is a torch?!", Mal seethed.

" Mal!"

" Shit. It's Ben", Mal cursed," Help me!".

" Cover your eye with your hair", Evie advised before she turned around to greet the prince," Hi Ben!".

Ben smiled," Hey Evie. Could I talk to Mal for a bit?", he asked.

" Sorry, she's a bit occupied with the flowers at the moment. Maybe later", Evie said.

" It'll just be for a minute", Ben replied.

Evie sighed," Fine. Mal", she called.

Mal, with her hair draped her right eye, peeked from the bouquet she was working on. She slipped into a calm exterior and sent her boyfriend a sweet smile.

" Hiya Bennyboo! To what do I owe this pleasure for my dork in shining armor to pay me a visit", Mal said playfully.

Ben chuckled," To ask if you're okay about coming to the Mother's Day party tomorrow", he said nervously.

" Of course! Why wouldn't the Lady of the Court not appear to the party her own mother can't be at because she's a five-inch long gecko", Mal said with a twitch of her eye.

" That's... the exact reason why I'm worried. Which is why I wanted to ask... if you had any other female relatives, maybe a sister of your mother... or your grandmother", Ben asked.

Mal frowned," I don't know. My mom never mentioned anyone except her mother, who she claims was an evil traitorous woman. And for all we know, she could be dead", she explained.

" So you have no other female relatives. Maybe a mother figure from the Isle?", Ben asked.

" ...There was Lady Tremaine but I don't think Cinderella would take too kindly to her being here. Besides her, my mother cut off contact with a lot of female villains except Cruella and the Evil Queen. I don't even know what Ursula looks like other than having a small resemblance to Uma", Mal explained.

Ben sighed," This is turning out harder than I thought... it's your first Mother's Day in Auradon and you can't even celebrate with your mother", he said.

" Hey... don't feel bad. I'll just hang with you and Belle. We've been getting on well lately anyway", Mal said optimistically.

Ben smiled," Yeah. It's a nice sight. I'm sure my mom would love to have you with us. However... you're going to have both your eyes back to normal right? I don't have a problem with it but it kind of reminds me of a traffic light", he said as he brushed a bit of Mal's hair to reveal her eye still glowing.

" I was hoping you wouldn't notice", Mal said embarrassed.

" After that last fiasco with the trip to the Isle, I plan on noticing every detail if something seems off with you", Ben explained before he frowned," I thought you talked with Fairy Godmother".

Mal sighed," It's not that easy, Ben".

" I know. But I'm worried if your magic might hurt you some day", Ben said concerned.

" It won't. I promise. I'll learn to control it... maybe I could try suppressing it?", Mal said with uncertainty.

" Don't do that", Ben said sternly," Queen Elsa said suppressing magic will only make it worse. Maybe you could try to do small spells... y'know... keep the magic flowing".

After the incident of Mal running back to the Isle, Ben had been making it his mission for Mal to still practice her magic. He had done research and he found out that the law his father had appointed that banned magic was hurting others more than helping. He had been thinking of lifting the ban, so that it would be easier for everyone with magic.

He knew his father would be 100% against his idea. Especially since magic was what made him a beast in the first place. But if he brought up Mal's problem... maybe it would soften him up.

" Sometimes I wonder how Jane has better control than I do", Mal mumbled.

" While I didn't think she had magic for a while, her wild magic might've been the reason for the beanstalk incident of 2010", Ben said cringing," Charmington was never the same after that".

Mal snorted at the imagery. She may have turned good but destruction was still very humorous to her.

" Jane's younger than you. Maybe it has something to do with that", Ben suggested.

" Maybe", Mal mumbled.

" Look. I have to go. There's a meeting I have to be at. I'll see you tonight at dinner", Ben said before planting a kiss on Mal's forehead," Love you".

" Love you too", Mal said softly before Ben left.

Mal smiled as she watched Ben walk away. She didn't know what she did to deserve him.

" Y'know, I think Ben is the key to you having control. Your eye's back to normal", Evie said handing the mirror back to Mal, who sighed in relief.

" At least nobody but him saw", Mal said relieved.

" Yeah, or else FG will find out for sure", Evie said before grabbing five bouquets," C'mon, these flowers can't deliver themselves".

Mal grabbed a batch before she followed Evie to the middle of the courtyard, where various tables were set up. Students were scrambling to get the decorations done as the person of Mal's nightmares dictated them.

Audrey

" No! That doesn't go there! That goes over there. How can I bring my mother, QUEEN AURORA, to a place that was imperfectly decorated, people?! Fix it!", Audrey shrieked.

" Hey Audrey. Here's the flowers you wanted. All wrapped and organised... as you had represented to us in your drawing board", Evie said politely.

Audrey took one glimpse at the flowers, eyebrows raised," Wild flowers? Seriously. Does this look like Corona to you?", she scoffed.

" There isn't enough money in the budget to buy flowers from the store, Audrey. We had to improvise", Mal explained

Audrey scoffed," You're the Lady of the Court. You have King Beast's bank account number. Surely, you could've loaned some money from him to buy flowers from the store", she said.

Mal clenched her jaw," That's not how it works. Yes I have access but that doesn't mean I'm willing to take money from him", she said.

" Ugh, money issues. You know, if your mother never cursed my mother, you could've at least be able to buy Ben a decent birthday gift", Audrey drawled.

Mal's eye twitched," Maybe if your grandmother hadn't been such a **spoilt brat** and just invite my mother to that stupid christening, maybe you would've been less of a brat than you are!", she shouted.

People gasped at what Mal had said. Audrey turned around slowly with an ever so fake smile on her face.

" At least I KNOW my family, you **orphan** ", Audrey sneered.

Mal growled," TAKE THAT BACK YOU BITCH!", she exclaimed.

Suddenly people started screaming. Audrey backed away in horror and screamed for help. Mal was taken back, confused as ever as everyone started screaming.

" Mal, the flowers!", Evie exclaimed.

" Huh?", Mal said confused before gasping at the sight of the flowers burning in green flames.

" Make it stop!"

" I'm trying!", Mal said panicked.

The flames grew larger and more wilder, Mal was afraid she'd set everything on fire.

" Mal! You have to calm down!", Evie exclaimed.

Mal breathed, trying to soothe herself before she caused a mass fire that would rival her mothers. Eventually, the flames went out, leaving dead, burnt flowers.

" What in the pumpkin pie happened?!"

Mal gulped as she saw Fairy Godmother walking towards her in worry. The young fairy had a feeling she'd be in huge trouble.

" Mal nearly set everything on fire!", Audrey exclaimed.

" It was an accident!", Mal retorted.

Fairy Godmother picked up the burnt bouquets and assessed them. Damaged by magical fire, nearly as intense as Maleficent's. She hated to admit it, but Mal's mother would've been proud at the amount of destruction Mal has caused.

Fairy Godmother sighed," Mal. Go to your dorm room", she said tiredly.

"What?! But-"

" Mal please. Just until dinner", Fairy Godmother added.

Mal silenced herself before walking slowly back to the dorms, but not before she gave Audrey one last glare. People stepped away from her in fear, giving her the same feeling she had back when she firat came to Auradon. She heard Evie muttering something about meeting her later, but Mal hadn't heard everything as she walked away.

With a slam of the door, Mal plopped onto her bed. She hugged her pillow, needing comfort from any source because of the stress she was facing. Luckily, someone got that idea.

Mal smiled as she felt something tug at her hair. She placed her hand over her shoulder and felt something hop into her palm. She smiled when she saw a young black raven chirp at her and snuggle against her thumb.

" Hi Dami", Mal said softly," How's my little bird?".

The raven cawed soothingly, trying to calm his mistress down.

A month ago, Mal had found Damien, or Dami as she loves to call him, in the forest behind the tourney field. She knew ravens and crows had bad reputations in Auradon due to mostly being seen as pets of big villains such as Maleficent and the Evil Queen. However, Mal wasn't one to judge on one's species, so instead of leaving the bird on the ground, Mal had taken the nest with the little chick in and placed it back in the tree, not imagining that the little baby would follow her back to school. It amazed Mal that no one, not even Evie, had found him following her around.

At first, he merely followed her around for the sake of wanting to get to know his savior. Later, he began helping her with small tasks, such as fetching her tiny items or even feeding her mother from time to time. Mal admitted it, it was nice to have him around, even if he wasn't much of a conversationalist.

" Just had a bad day. Audrey was a prick as usual. Y'know, sometimes I wished I could curse her but that would send me back to the Isle. And I can't guarantee that I can always feed you if we get sent there", Mal said softly.

Damien cawed gently before nuzzling against Mal's thumb.

" Aww, I love you too, buddy", Mal said before she gently ran her finger through his feathers.

She played with Damien until night fall, bringing him some dinner after she had left. She sat with him in the bedside window, gazing out into the starry night sky, particularly one star that stood brightly in the sky.

" I heard people made wishes on that star", Mal said absent-mindedly," And those wishes would always come true".

All Mal got was a small caw from her companion.

" Do you think if I wished on that star... my wish could come true...", Mal asked quietly.

Damien flew onto her shoulder and gave her an encouraging nudge against the cheek, causing Mal to chuckle.

" Okay, I can give it a try", Mal said before she got on her knees and looked up at the star," Please please please", she murmured softly.

The star continued to twinkle brightly in the sky. Mal sighed," What's the use? It's probably just an old myth", she muttered before going to bed.

Mal placed Damien on the pillow she had reserved just for him to sleep on before she returned to her own bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep well if she was to still be at that party tomorrow, but Mal let her eyes close and sleep take over.

Deep in the night, the stars became immensely brighter, almost blinding. One particular star not only became brighter, it came closer to the ground until it floated through the window of Mal and Evie's room.

A figure formed from the star and stood over Mal almost protectively.

" I heard your wish, my dear. You are a person of good heart and are deemed worthy to receive your wish. I hope the best of luck to you, starlight... the family will love to have you back, Mal", the figure said before placing a small kiss on Mal's forehead," Sweet dreams, my shining niece".

End of Chapter 1

 **Kudos to anyone who can guess who the figure is (but you'd probably already know who it is)**. **Remember to leave a review so I know what you think, see you real soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: Burn away the lies

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: Burn away the lies

People filed into Auradon Prep's courtyard like ants, conversing with each other while watching the school's choir performed a jazzy remix of 'Baby of mine', with Ben leading vocals.

Mal smiled as she sat next to Belle and Beast who watched their son perform from afar. It had been a good day so far, no random magic bursts or anything that caught fire. Mal believed she may have finally gained control of her magic.

" This all looks so lovely, Mal", Belle said.

" Thank you. I hope you had a good day", Mal said shyly.

" Of course. I got to spend some time with you and Ben, and eat a delicious quiche. It was all-in-all, a spectacular event", Belle said happily before a frown appeared on her face," I just wish you could have the same experience with Maleficent".

Mal smiled," It's fine, really. She's not really a party person so I doubt she would have liked this. Dad always said she was a bit of a party pooper", she said.

" Ah yes, Hades. What was he like?", Belle inquired.

Belle, who always wanted a daughter, wanted to get to know her daughter-in-law (despite people saying that marriage is never guaranteed, she believed Mal and Ben will have the same thing she and Beast have), her personal experiences and her family life as well as the things she liked to do or what made her upset. She wanted Mal to be comfortable with her and perhaps reach out to her if she has any trouble.

It was actually her that asked Ben to ask Mal if she had any relatives in Auradon and was disappointed to find out that the young fairy had no clue. There were times when she was tempted to use that mirror Beast had given her when she was still his 'prisoner' in order to find any relative that might have been lying low but still wanted to meet Mal. But she didn't.

" He's more light-hearted than my mom, that's for sure. I didn't get to see him much after Mom and him split. I feel like out of the two of them, he was more parental than she ever was", Mal said fondly.

" When did your parents part?", Belle asked, hoping she was prodding too much.

" Roughly around when I was four or five. Mom got in a fight with him and locked herself in their room for hours. After that, the next thing I knew, we moved in Mother Gothel and I didn't see Dad for two years before Gaston managed to sneak me out and take me to him", Mal explained," And to be honest, I NEVER found out what they were fighting about. They both refused to talk about it".

" Sounds serious", Beast commented as he listened in.

" Well, they argued over the colour of the table cloth once so I don't really know", Mal said jokingly.

Beast snorted," Remember when we argued over whether or not we should paint Ben's room blue or yellow", he asked his wife.

" How could I forget? We had that argument for two hours straight", Belle said exasperated.

Mal laughed," Two hours?!".

" She was a very stubborn pregnant queen", Beast whispered playfully, causing Belle to gently smack his shoulder.

Mal chuckled, wondering if her and Ben would ever be like this when they were older.

" Huh, out of juice. I'll be right back", Mal said as she excused herself from the royal couple as she made her way over to the snack table across the courtyard.

Mal spotted Carlos with Fairy Godmother and Jay with Sultana Jasmine and her son, Aziz. She smiled as they conversed with each other, lost in their own world. Everyone was with their own mothers or relatives, except Mal. It bothered her a little but not as much as it did previously. But it was still distracting.

So distracting that she didn't notice the person she was about to bump into.

" Oh rotten apples. I'm sorry ma'am, are you alright?", Mal said as she picked up the book that was in the woman's hand before they bumped into each other.

" I'm fine. Thank you for asking", the woman said kindly.

She was a head taller than Mal with wavy, ginger red hair and hazel eyes. She wore a long orange cloak with a flowing yellow sundress. In her hair, a headband with a red rose attached to it wrapped around her hair.

" You... look very familiar. Have we met before?", the woman said.

" Uh no, maybe you've seen me on the news. I'm Mal, the new Lady of the court", she said nervously.

" Ah yes, you're Ben's girlfriend. Nice to meet you", the woman said with a kind smile.

" You know Ben personally?", Mal questioned.

" I met him when he was quite young. I was... an acquaintance... of his father", the woman said hesitantly.

" What's your name?", Mal asked curiously.

" Circe. Circe Rose", the woman said kindly.

" Nice to meet you, Miss Circe", Mal said shaking her hand.

" Mal!", someone called.

" Seems like you're needed elsewhere", Circe said softly.

" Yeah. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day ma'am", Mal said before she walked away.

" Will do", Circe said before she walked away from the retreating fairy. She pulled out a phone and dialed a number.

" Blue, it's me. I met her. She's just like her mother when we were younger!", Circe squealed," I don't know why Juleka would hide her from us. Have you told **Nanny** already? She would love her so much. You have to come by later, please. She's just lovely...".

" It's quite a surprise to see you here, Circe"

Circe jumped at the mention of her name and whipped around to see Merlin, who leaned against the stone walls and observed the crowd while he drank his tea.

" It's quite suspicious that the **Enchantress** make an appearance at a mortal party. What brings you here, your Excellency?", Merlin asked quietly.

Circe frowned," I wanted to see the daughter of my goddaughter. Is that a crime? To be curious?", she huffed.

Merlin chuckled," Not at all, your Excellency. It's just you're such a sight for sore eyes I'm surprised the former King didn't realise you were here", he said.

" The last time he saw me was when I cursed him, which was more than thirty years ago, sir Merlin. Give me some credit for being a good spy", Circe said.

" I suppose you aren't here for Ben either", Merlin inquired.

" Ben isn't my business", Circe stated.

" Yet you continue to protect him from the sidelines", Merlin said shaking his head," This is why Queen Nefaria always has someone looking out for you and your sisters".

" Shut up old man", Circe grumbled.

" I will... once you admit we're the same age"

XXX

Mal chatted up a storm with Lonnie and Dizzy, who decided to spend some time with Fairy Godmother when suddenly the sound of trumpets took everyone's attention to one sole person.

" Attention everyone!", Audrey said into the microphone," I'd like to bring your attention to me. The most important people of tonight's event has finally arrived... as well as everyone else's mothers. But most importantly, my mother **Queen** Aurora of Auroria Valley!".

Mal froze as she saw Aurora practically glide gracefully through the courtyard with her lovely pink dress on. More to Mal's dismay, Mal found Queen Leah not far behind with the good fairies that raised Aurora while her mother's curse was still in action. Aurora reached her daughter with a loving smile and embraced her child with so much warmth and love it made Mal sick.

And to make matters worse, Audrey was smirking at her rival's obvious discomfort.

Mal felt her finger tips grow warm as her magic started up again. She cursed herself for allowing herself to get angry over something so petty.

Where was Damien when she needed him?

Unbeknownst to her, the little raven had followed her out and was making his way to her as quickly as possible while making sure he hid away from the humans just as Mal had instructed him.

Mal felt someone gently tap her shoulder and turned to find Jay smiling softly down at her.

" Are you okay?", he asked.

" I'm chilled. Totes fine. Don't worry about me", Mal said.

" Really, because you're really starting to look a little... green", Jay said hesitantly.

" What?", Mal said as she touched her skin.

" You kinda look paler and a bit green but it's nearly unnoticeable", Jay said reassuringly," I doubt anyone but me noticed".

" I preferred no one notice, including you, how green I am", Mal growled, causing Jay to back away.

" Yeesh, just trying to help my oldest friend out", Jay huffed.

Mal sighed," Sorry. I'm having trouble with my magic lately", she confessed quietly.

" Yeah I noticed", Jay said," So did Carlos if you're wondering", he added.

" How?", Mal asked surprised.

" Magic isn't easy to hide, y'know, especially _green_ fire", Jay teased.

" Is this coming from the fact you're half- genie?", Mal asked.

Jay immediately clamped her mouth shut," Tell it to the whole world, why don't you?", he said sarcastically.

" Sorry, lost myself for a bit there", Mal said," But does it?".

" No- well kinda. You saw how I summoned that ice cream flood the other day when I heard someone wish for it. Can't risk hearing someone wishing to take over the world and I accidentally grant it", Jay said sheepishly," Which is why I talked with Jasmine... about going to Agrabah this summer so I could train to become a full genie".

Mal's eyes widened," Oh wow, uh, you're taking this really seriously, huh", she stuttered.

" Can't risk world domination. Maybe you should talk to FGM about taking a magic summmer programme, y'know", Jay said before whispering,"-before we reenact the battle in Sleeping Beauty".

Mal glanced away," I'll think about it", she said before a question rose into her throat," Does... Carlos know about this? You leaving, I mean".

Jay's jaw clenched as he realised he's been cornered by the question he hoped Mal wouldn't ask.

He hadn't told Carlos. Or Evie and Lonnie. He wasn't sure how they would take the news, of him leaving for the whole summer. He was sure they would be livid at him telling them the last second.

" I haven't", Jay said biting his lip.

" Well... are you?", Mal asked.

" I need to see if I'm actually doing this thing or not. Once I get the results, I'll tell them everything", Jay said with certainty.

" When do you get the results?", Mal asked curiously.

" Next week for the earliest. It's pretty nerve-wracking", Jay said chuckling weakly.

" You'll call me when you get them, right? I want to be the first to know", Mal said grinning.

" Well it would be a crime not to tell my best friend my success", Jay said playfully," Good thing I'm a thief".

" Fool", Mal said poking his cheek.

Even after all these months in Auradon, Jay is still her partner-in-crime.

" Hey, I've been thinking. Your 18th birthday is coming up real soon. Wouldn't it be funny if we got you a bird?", Jay said jokingly," Especially a raven? Man, would the royals freak out".

Mal chuckled," That would be funny but... I already have a bird... a raven too", she whispered.

" Woah... can I see it?!", Jay asked excitedly.

" Not now. They're about to serve lunch soon", Mal said.

" Lunch yum!", Jay said licking his lips as he rubbed his hands together, a few tiny gold magic escaping through the rubbing palms.

Mal rolled her eyes at Jay's behaviour. Leave it to him to think with his stomach.

" Could you maybe get me some-"

A scream cut Mal off, shocking her and Jay as it's rare someone screams in terror. The two teens made their way through the crowd until they came upon a clear spot in the lawn, where Queen Leah was screaming at the sight of a bird.

Not just any bird though, a raven.

And not just any raven, but Damien.

" What is it doing here! Somebody help me!", Queen Leah screamed in panic," Stefan!".

Damien cawed wildly in panic at the screaming happening around him, and no sight of Mal in his vision.

Mal ran towards him before one of the guards could trample him to the ground.

" No! Please, he's mine", Mal said as she cradled Damien in her hand.

" You! I should've known! Your mother always had that devil bird with her and now you're following in her footsteps", Queen Leah sneered.

" I-I'm not", Mal stuttered as people around her began whispering.

" You're her daughter? You're Maleficent's daughter", Aurora gasped before her face morphed into one of disgust," You stole my daughter's boyfriend".

" I didn't", Mal was cut off by Queen Leah.

" Don't back chat my daughter, you hoodlum!", Leah exclaimed.

" I wasn't backchatting her!", Mal screamed causing the flowers around her to burst into green flames.

Mal only realised what she did when people began screaming. She looked around in panic, her magic flowing freely out of her. A dark green aura surrounded her, attacking anybody that came close.

Circe and Merlin gasped when they saw wht was happening. Fairy Godmother summoned her wand from thin air, hoping to calm the wild magic down.

" Help me!", Fairy Godmother said as her magic struggled to contain Mal's surprisingly stronger magic.

" C'mon, girls", Flora said as she got her wand out and began to follow suit with Fairy Godmother.

Fauna and Merryweather pulled out their wands and too followed suit. But even all four of their magic couldn't help them.

" They need help", Merlin said.

" No. They need more magic. Summon Blue here. Only she can calm her down", Circe said.

" Yes, your Excellency", Merlin said before retreating, leaving Circe to watch the fight in worry.

Mal wasn't sure what was happening around her. Damien was squawking in panic as magic she was sure wasn't her own was trying to ground her. Her magic lashed out violently, nearly hitting Merryweather. Her eyes glew so much that she couldn't see. Every opening in her body was leaking magic, through her eyes, her nails, her mouth and nose. Mal was beginning to lose her senses as she felt her magic begin to drain her further.

Circe was panicking. Such an amount of power was dangerous. Those stupid fairies are putting everyone in danger. She looked at Beast, who was trying to keep things under control. And then her eyes landed on Ben...

... And she decided to damn it all...

Circe moved forward, pulling out her rose-themed wand and let her magic surround Mal instead of pushing her. People gasped in surprise and she could see the look of familiarity as Beast recognised her magic.

" Circe, what are you doing here?!", Fairy Godmother said.

" Getting my goddaughter back", she growled.

More magic was being pushed against Mal, who cried out in pain as the oppression was hurting her. Circe clenched her jaw as she tried to keep pushing Fairy Godmother and the Good Fairies away.

" Just a little longer, Circe", she told herself.

Suddenly, a bright light emerged from the sky, rocketing down towards where Mal was situated. The light pushed back the main four's magic, causing them to fly back from the amount of power that was present. Circe merely stumbled but still remained on her feet.

The bright light lowered down onto the earth, just barely hovering over the soil. The ethereal being before everyone shone brightly and looked about gracefully, her light finally fading until people could see who it was.

" Blue Fairy", Belle gasped.

Mal was in such a state of shock, her magic died down. Her mouth felt dry as she stared at the ethereal fairy before her.

" Hello, do you know who I am?", Blue said kindly in the warmest voice Mal ever heard.

" You're Blue Fairy", Mal blurted.

Blue chuckled," Yes, my dear. But I am much more than that. You are much more than what you are, my dear Mal", she said.

" How do you know my name?", Mal asked nervously.

" I've been waiting to meet you for such a long time, Mal", Blue said softly," My real name is Nova Dahl and I... am your mother's sister... your aunt".

End of Chapter 2

 **This was rather rushed and I am terribly sorry for that. I changed Blue Fairy's name to Nova Dahl because Reul Ghorm made me think of OUAT, and Reul was a bitch. Remember to review and I hope you have a great day/night. See you in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3: Make peace with your soul

Chapter 3: Make peace with your soul

Mal sat slumped in a chair outside of Fairy Godmother's office, half-listening to the argument between the latter and Blue Fairy who was privately known Nova Dahl or Nova. Evie sat next to her, patting her hand gently while warily looking at Circe who was avoiding eye contact with King Beast.

" I have an aunt, who is Blue Fairy, the most powerful fairy in all the realms", Mal muttered in disbelief.

" Do you wanna talk about it?", Evie asked carefully.

" Not at all", Mal said as slumped in her seat.

" Come now, cheer up, Mal. It's not like it's the end of the world", Circe said reassuringly," Nova has been wanting to meet you since it was announced Maleficent's child was to come to Auradon. She means no ill".

" Then why now? Why does she only come now?", Mal asked.

Circe frowned," Nova has her limitations. And one of those limitations was that she can only come to Earth once someone with a pure spirit summons her to Earth from her star", she explained.

" The wishing star...", Mal breathed out as she realised SHE was the one who summoned Nova here.

" Exactly. You wished something and it summoned her here and she won't go back until she completes it. It's the restrictions that were given to her since Maleficent was imprisoned on the Isle", Circe explained.

" So... she was... technically imprisoned too", Mal said carefully.

" She was not-!", King Beast said before trying even his breathing," She... was not imprisoned... she isolated herself".

" Isolated in a star made specifically for me... so... yes, imprisoned was one of the heavier terms", Nova said as she walked with Fairy Godmother.

" I can't believe you! Using magic like that! That was very unprecedented, Nova", Fairy Godmother scolded.

" You were going to hurt her. Her magic was very unstable. And from Circe has told me, it's an on and off recurring thing. What if her magic drained and your magic hit her? She could've been killed!", Nova exclaimed.

" Killed?", Mal squeaked.

" Calm down", Evie said soothingly.

" I could've been killed, E", Mal said slowly.

" But you weren't M. You're still here- Mal? Mal?", Evie said as her voice started to fade away.

Mal blinked and found herself in a garden with fireflies flying around her. Confused as to why she came here, she looked around to find Nova sitting on the grass.

" You gave us all quite the scare there. Green fire, you remind me so much of your mother", Nova said quietly before patting the ground in front of her," Sit. You must be confused".

" How... did I get here? Where is everyone?", Mal asked.

" I brought you here. Welcome to my personal bubble", Nova said.

" Personal bubble?", Mal questioned.

" Yes. It's like the human personification of a comfort zone. This is my comfort zone. But everyone just calls it their personal bubble", Nova said with a shrug.

" So it's personification... brought to life", Mal asked.

" Exactly", Nova said smiling," And the best part is, no one can get inside unless you let them in".

Mal smiled," Cool. Can I get one?", she asked.

Nova smiled," You actually make one with your magic and it requires a lot of practice and energy", she explained.

" Oh", Mal said disappointed.

" Cheer up. For now, you can use mine", Nova said kindly.

" I couldn't", Mal said.

" You don't have to if you don't want to. I mainly brought you here so you wouldn't end up burning your school down", Nova said chuckling.

" Sorry. The factor that I could've been killed just scared me shitless", Mal said, forgetting to mind her language.

" I can imagine. Sorry for that though. I just wanted to check on you since I heard King Beast start yelling", Nova said sheepishly.

Mal watched the ethereal fairy before her while the latter was explaining herself. She couldn't believe this woman was related to her mother. There were too many differences that Mal noted.

Nova's skin glew like a star while her mother's lacked any shine. Her blonde hair contrasted with her mother's indigo-coloured hair. Their eyes were similarly green, but Nova's were more blue while her mother's shone like emerald. And the large differences were Nova's lack of horns and her mother's lack of wings.

" How are you related to my mother again?", Mal asked.

" We're sisters"

" But you-"

" We were adopted. Our mother couldn't bare children so she instead took children in. There were three of us: me, your mother and our brother Aaron. Aaron was a child that our father had with his previous wife but he ran away centuries ago, never to be found again", Nova said sadly.

" Sorry", Mal replied.

" It was fine. I think it was the pressure for the throne that made him leave. And when he left, the throne went to Maleficent, your mother. And the power... went to her head and the rest is history. The throne went to me before I eventually gave it back to my father", Nova explained.

" Wait, hold the wand... did you just say 'throne' as in ROYAL throne?!", Mal exclaimed, inwardly screaming.

" Yes... were you not aware that you are royalty?", Nova asked.

" No!", Mal said silently fuming.

Her mother told her nothing. Her mother never told her anything about this.

" Well you are. In fact, I believe you're next in line for the throne if I'm not mistaken...", Nova murmured.

It would've been a heavenly bliss for Mal to just die in the spot she was sitting at.

" But... I'm already Lady of the Court of Auradon. I can't rule two different kingdoms. I barely know the one and I don't even know the other one's name", Mal said," Isn't there another way?".

" Unless you have a sibling or Aaron has a child, the throne is yours Mal. Your grandfather can only rule for so long", Nova said.

Mal's heart skipped a beat at the words 'your grandfather'. A reminder that she has a family she can turn to in dark times (hopefully).

" Is he nice? My grandfather, I mean", Mal asked.

" He is... when there's no one testing his patience", Nova replied," He's very strict... almost no-nonsense... cold at good but viciously evil at worst. People fear him when they see him".

" Wow", Mal said.

" I know. Now you know where your mother got it from", Nova joked.

Mal snorted," So, what were you doing while my mom was imprisoned?", she asked.

" Royal stuff, very boring. I'm glad I was dismissed from it before the empire could explode. I was also trying to keep both my parents from finding out she was imprisoned. Nanny wasn't named Nefaria because she was a gentle woman and Father would've certainly enslave everyone in Auradon", Nova said.

" Are they evil?", Mal asked.

" They're more neutral than evil, dear. There's always a gray on a black and white scale", Nova said summoning a cup of tea from thin air," Tea?".

" No thanks", Mal said before asking," Is there... any way for me to... learn how to control my magic?".

Nova set her cup down and sat up in a regal posture," That's the other thing I've been meaning to speak to you about. Your magic", she said before leaning forward," Now Mal, tell me, what do you know about magic".

" Um... magic is... magic. It's a gift that makes us do extraordinary things", Mal said.

" You're right... but you're also wrong", Nova said before continuing," Magic works the same way the mind works. It works based on your emotions and how you look at yourself. So if you're angry or afraid, your magic lashes out to attack or protect you... almost like the mind going blank when you're on a murderous rampage. It's not you... but it is you".

" Ok. Guess that explains what happened all those times. But I'm not angry or afraid all the time. What about those other times?", Mal asked.

" Your magic is not only your mind, but it's also your soul, well... more a piece of it. Despite magic coming from within you, a large part of it remains outside of you until it's needed. It was never an ability... it was a spirit and you, my dear, are not on good terms with your spirit", Nova said.

" Well... how do I get in touch with my... spirit?", Mal asked.

" Well let's start with closing your eyes", Nova said before Mal closed her eyes," Now relax, you're in a dark room alone, only yourself and your spirit to keep you company. Now... let a small amount of energy into your hand and hold it there. There's a spell that helps you. It goes like this: _In this room where I seat, plagued by darkness' greatest defeat, bring a piece of myself from where it hides, to where we can we see it in the light_. Try and repeat that.

" In this room where I seat, plagued by darkness' greatest defeat, bring a piece of myself from where it hides, to where we can we see it in the light", Mal chanted before she felt something inside of her get pulled out.

Mal's eyes snapped open to meet Nova's smirk," Did it work?", she asked.

" Look to your left", Nova said smugly.

Mal did as she was told and turned left to be greeted by a golden dusty figure that looked exactly like her. The figure smirked at Mal's gobsmacked expression.

" Close your mouth, Mal. You're not a codfish", the spirit said sassily.

" You see the sassy spirit too, right", Mal said shocked.

Nova chuckled," Mal, this is your spirit. Dear one, this is your host, Mal", she said introducing the two.

" How long have you been inside of me?", Mal asked.

" Depends. When and what time were you conceived", the spirit said," The names Spirit... don't throw it around in the spirit world", she said.

Mal didn't know what to say. She looked to Nova but all she got was a reassuring smile.

" I'll leave you two to get to know each other then", Nova said.

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4: Familiar

Chapter 4: Familiar

" You should really close your mouth. At this rate, a swarm of bees could've created a hive in there"

Mal's mouth clamped shut after a moment of staring at Spirit, who didn't take Mal's staring too kindly.

The embodiment of Mal's magic was rather peeved Mal had to find out about her so late in life. Years being trapped with someone who couldn't see her took a toll on her opinion of her host. All the spells they could've learnt, wasted as now they had to squeeze seventeen years worth of magic into a small amount of time so that Mal and her can be on par with their age group.

" So... you're my magic", Mal said sticking her hand out to Spirit to see if she was intangible or not.

" Yes and if you don't put your hand back where it belongs, you'll see to the extent of how much I control", Spirit growled.

Mal pulled her hand away at Spirit's threat. There was something oddly... familiar with the way Spirit behaved.

" You could at least be a little kinder to her. She is your host after all", Nova spoke up.

" And she needs to grow a backbone if she's going to let those mortals push her around! I don't like being ordered around", Spirit growled.

" Hey! I'm trying to fit to their standards to be a good queen", Mal argued.

" No, you're trying to fit into the mold of a model queen. Someone who sits idly by their king's side with little to no complaint. WE are not like that! I refuse that we become those... those... prissy pink princesses", Spirit hissed venomously.

Something inside Mal's mind snapped. Now she knew why Spirit's character seemed familiar.

Spirit is her old self prior to coming to Auradon.

Before Spirit was about fire back again, Nova cleared her throat, prompting her to keep quiet.

" Now I know you have some words to say to Mal, Spirit, but I'd like to speak with my niece as privately as you'd allow it", Nova asked.

Spirit clicked her tongue in thought before nodding," Sure. Please knock some sense into her before I definitely knock something" and with that, Spirit disappeared.

" Well, she's quite the character", Nova said chuckling.

" She reminds me of my old self from back on the Isle", Mal said chuckling dryly," I can't believe I got dissed by my own magic".

" All magic is like that. Weird and unpredictable. I suspected your spirit may be a bit... rebellious and a bit temperamental, but thankfully it's just verbally", Nova replied," Now let's get on track with things".

" Right, so my magic. Does Spirit have something to do with it acting so wildly?", Mal asked.

' _How mean of you to assume it was just me alone doing all that_ '

Mal froze.

" You can hear her?", Nova said with a raised eyebrow.

" It's like she's inside my head. It's weird", Mal said.

" You'll get used to it eventually", Nova said waving it off," Also, to answer your question. Yes and no. It's her but it's actually the both of you. You got mad and Spirit retaliated. You got scared and Spirit acted in defense. It's like human instinct, when they see something scary, they run. But the concerning factor is, it's too wild fir the both of you to handle. Hence why magical beings your age are trained for situations like what happened. We can't have emotionally unstable teenagers wrecking destruction on the realms, now can we?".

" I guess", Mal said as she started reconsidering the tea offer.

" Fairy Godmother made a huge mistake assuming you wouldn't be stronger than your mother. I'm rather furious about it. Your father's a god, how could she not assume some of your father's strengths may be inherited!", Nova said furiously before she sighed," I've been not to but I feel this would benefit the both of us. I'm offering to teach you what you need to know in order to get your magic back in check AND teach you some very powerful, and also very illegal spells".

" You're going to teach me some powerful but illegal spells... I see how you and Mom are related now", Mal said cheekily.

" Shush, they're only illegal in Auradon anyway", Nova said before laughing herself.

Mal laughed. This was beginning to feel slightly more natural. Even if the circumstances under which everything happened wasn't ideal.

Then, something clicked in her. Her grandparents, did they know she existed? If they did, wouldn't they have wanted to come find her... or even possibly her mother? Did they care at all? She knew Nova had distracted them from finding about the Isle but at least wouldn't they have been curious if one of their daughters could have had an offspring.

" Do you my... grandparents know I exist? Or maybe that they may have a grandchild", Mal asked carefully.

" If they knew about you, it wouldn't be me sitting here dear", Nova said warmly," You'd be sitting with Nanny, forcefully drinking tea".

Mal nodded and remained quiet. Nova frowned before she spoke up again.

" I could however... send a letter to Nanny, so that she could come early", Nova said thoughtfully, smiling at Mal's piqued interest," But you'll have to have to be a surprise. I wanna see her cry".

Mal pressed her laugh back. This fairy is definitely related to her mother, whether it be blood or documents.

Nova smiled before she looked at the watch on her wrist and frowned.

" Wow, it's 7 already. Time really flies", Nova said whistling," I should probably get you back to Auradon Prep before the old geezer gets a heart attack".

Admittedly, Mal didn't want to leave just yet. She still had so many questions to ask. But her voice went silent as she watched Nova summon a portal to take her back to school.

" Well here's your portal back to school. I might be able to see you again next Friday for the earliest", Nova explained.

" Hey, I wanted to ask you something", Mal said fiddling with her ring nervously.

" What is it?", Nova asked concerned.

Mal bit her lip," Do... do you know why mom turned evil?", she asked nervously.

Nova sighed, making Mal assume the worst", I was hoping you would know. She just... upped and left, never came back. The next time I saw her was the Villain's War of 1995. No explanation other than that she was leading it", she explained," I wish I could tell you more. But the only one who could tell you... is your mother herself".

" Like that'll ever happen", Mal said bitterly," She was so adamant on me becoming evil like her and meeting you, I wondered... what made her evil?".

" I wonder that too... I honestly saw nothing wrong with her. But... it probably has something to do with those lousy sisters", Nova sneered.

" Sisters?", Mal said tilting her head.

" Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. They never liked Maleficent and that gave me a reason to make their lives very difficult", Nova said before a wicked grin appeared on her face," The looks on their faces when they saw me again. Oh how I wished I had a camera on me at that moment".

Mal grinned, the feeling that she was going to love her aunt growing stronger.

" Now you shouldn't keep your friends waiting", Nova said.

" Right. Bye..."

" Aunt or Auntie Nova is fine", Nova said calmly.

" Bye Aunt Nova", Mal said before she jumped through the portal.

Mal landed in the hallway of the girl's dormitory. The hallway was empty, which meant everyone was in their rooms already.

" Well today was eventful", Mal muttered.

' _You said it_ ', Spirit replied.

" Oh right. You're still in my mind", Mal said as she began her walk to her dorm room.

' _Yeah, and can you let me out?_ '

" Hmm... maybe tomorrow", Mal replied.

Spirit groaned, causing Mal to chuckle in amusement. Sooner than she expected, she arrived at her dorm room...

...to see Evie curled up on her bed.

" E? Evie, what's wrong", Mal asked worriedly.

" Mal, the worst thing in history happened to me. Much worse than the creation of bubblegum flavoured soda", Evie said frantically.

" Woah, what happened E?", Mal said as she sat down on her friend's bed.

" Snow White TALKED to me", Evie answered," She talked to me, M. She said my name and everything and asked about my magic mirror. Well, it's technically still Mommy's but she asked about it".

Mal sighed," If that's your biggest problem, you're seriously lucky, princess", she muttered.

" Why would she ask about my mother's mirror, Mal? Do you think she's secretly evil like Prince Hans?", Evie gasped.

" Okay, you're officially over thinking this. Maybe she's just curious. After all, the woman did raise her, technically", Mal said reassuringly," You're probably just stressed out about the entire day. Sleep, we can think about your Snow White situation in the morning".

" You're right. Okay, yeah... I can sleep off the stress and think clearly in the morning. After all, if she's here to antagonize, I would've noticed", Evie said trying to calm herself.

" Exactly. Now go to bed", Mal said as she hopped into bed, Damian snuggling underneath her neck.

Mal heard Evie murmur about how cute the little raven was before soft snores were heard. Mal chuckled softly before she felt her own eyes flutter close, taking her to a far off dream world where she might learn something very few people know.

End of Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5: Fantastical dream

Chapter 5: Fantastical dream

 _Mal's eyes fluttered open as she looked at her surroundings. She was sitting near a pond where some water pixies flocked about singing their songs._

 _" Aaron! Aaron!"_

 _Mal looked curiously about for the source of the voice, feeling the slight familiarity of it. She looked ahead from the other side of the pond to a willow tree where two people sat talking. Before she knew it, she was under the same tree with them._

 _" Aaron, come play with me!", the weird-looking little girl_.

 _Not now Maleficent-"_

 _Mal's jaw dropped at the scene. The little girl in front of this boy who looked no older than 13 year old was her mother. The Mistress of All Evil was once this tiny girl. Though as it registered in Mal's mind, she finally sees the likeness of her mother in the small girl._

 _Her skin was pale, almost a pale green in certain places. Her long purple hair was braided and crowned by the small dainty horns on her head and some flowers. Her long silk down was a deep shade of lavender that complimented Maleficent's hair. All-in-all, her mother like a-_

 _" I'm a princess, Aaron. You have to listen to me", Maleficent said folding her arms_

 _Aaron sent her a flat look," And I'm the crown prince. In other words, my decision overules yours", he said before getting back to his book._

 _Mal figured Aaron was her uncle, remembering when Nova mentioned his name, but with his looks, Mal understood why her mother was the adopted child._

 _Aaron's hair was blond, a golden blonde that resembles the same gold the crowns were made of, making a large contrast to her mother's purple hair. His neatly, combed back hair was too crowned with horns but the wings on his back told Mal he was an entirely different being from her mother. His clothes were a simple shirt, slacks and boots topped with the black gloves on his hands. His maroon eyes met her mother's green eyes._

 _" But, since it's nearly lunch snd I have lessons after this... why not?", Aaron said with a sigh._

 _Maleficent squealed and clapped her hands in excitement before dragging her adoptive brother away from his spot, allowing Mal to see the sharp-arrowed tail coming from his rear._

 _" Can we play dazzleball?! Please", Maleficent begged._

 _Aaron groaned," But I wanna play tourney", he said._

 _" Dazzleball first. Then tourney. Deal?", Maleficent sticking her hand out to grab his hand for a shake._

 _" Maleficent no!", he yelled swatting her hand away._

 _Mal and Maleficent jumped back in surprise at Aaron's outburst. But it seems Maleficent understood it quicker than Mal did._

 _" Oh no, I'm sorry Aaron. I didn't mean to. I had forgotten about your-"_

 _" Shh, it's fine. Let's just not tell Nanny or Father about this", Aaron said softly._

 _" I had forgotten the number one rule", Maleficent said sadly._

 _' Never strike a deal with a demon unless you mean it', Mal said in unison with her mother. Remembering herself to be in a similar predicament a long time ago._

 _" Look, we can play dazzleball and then tourney after. No deals or promises. We are just coming to a note-worthy compromise", Aaron said as he got up, dusting himself off," We don't need to tell anyone a deal was nearly insinuated. Am I correct?"._

 _Maleficent nodded, albeit hesitantly._

 _" C'mon, let's start playing before Nanny calls us in for lunch", Aaron said as he slyly stole the ball from Maleficent's hand," I get first kick"._

 _Maleficent shrieked," No way, I suggested the game, I should get first kick!"._

 _" Sorry! Can't hear you over the fact that I'm WINNING!", Aaron said laughing._

 _" AARON!"_

 _Mal laughed as she watched the interaction. Their relationship reminded her of herself and Jay's relationship._

 _As she watched them, there were some things Mal couldn't fully grasp in her mind. And that was where her mother stood on the Good and Evil scale._

 _Her mother used to boast about destroying kingdoms at a age as young as the way she looked in the dream. But that story is completely different to what Mal was seeing now. A little girl playing with her big brother was what Mal was seeing and destroying kingdoms was what Mal was hearing._

 _But isn't seeing... believing? But Mal wasn't sure if this was a dream or her subconsciously picking at her mother's real memories. Whatever it was, it changed her perspective on her mother quite a bit._

 _' Maybe... she can be good', Mal said softly._

 _Suddenly, there was someone yelling._

 _" Lord Aaron! Lady Maleficent!"_

 _" Sounds like lunch, dear sister", Aaron said quickly changing his clothes into more princely clothing while Maleficent watched in amazement._

 _" You must teach me that spell", Maleficent said in amazement," It would save me from getting in trouble with Nanny"._

 _" I might, someday in the future", Aaron said before taking his sister's hand," Come, we must not keep Nanny and Father waiting"._

Mal's eyes opened up to be greeted by the bright morning sun through the dorm room window. Mal turned over to find Evie feeding Damien.

" Morning M", Evie said.

" What... time is it?", Mal asked.

" It's 6:15. You have 45 minutes to get ready in time for breakfast rush and 2 hours before school starts. You're welcome", Evie said as she placed Mal's clothes at the foot of her bed," Want me to dress you too, sweetheart?".

At least Evie was back to normal and that made the comment less annoying for Mal.

" I had the weirdest dream, E", Mal said as she got dress.

" Do tell".

" I was in this garden place and... my mom was there with this guy. And the weirdest thing is... she was a child-"

" Your mother, a child. Where did your dream take place Mal, the Stone Age?", Evie said.

They heard a low hiss from the tank.

" Oh I'm only joking", Evie said to the lizard," Continue".

" -And that guy I told you about earlier... his name was Aaron, he's my uncle and my mom's older brother", Mal said.

" You have an aunt AND AN UNCLE", Evie said incredulously," Next thing you know, you got grandparents".

Mal's sheepish grin already told Evie the answer.

" Well, where's all my family members?", Evie complained with a huff," Continue".

" And it was just... freaky. My mom was so... good and... sensitive, it just made my views on her turn 360 degrees", Mal said as she combed through her hair with her fingers.

Evie placed a brush in Mal's hand," Are you sure it wasn't just a dream. Maybe that talk with your aunt got you thinking and dreaming. Because sensitive and your mother do not fit in the same sentence", she said.

" E, I feel like what I saw was the real deal", Mal said as she took her jacket off her chair," What if my mom was a good person. What if she still can be a good person? E, think of the possibilities. Our parents... they can redeem themselves! If the dream really is real then what are the odds they can change from evil to good".

Evie smiled, she admitted, the thought of their parents' redemption made her happy and filled with hope. Even if it was a far-off dream, if Mal's dream is indeed real, there may still be a chance for the villains.

" I think... we can look further into it at the library this afternoon", Evie said thoughtfully as she grabbed her purse," But for now, let's only think about breakfast".

Mal grinned as she and Evie left the dorm room, with a little more hope in their hearts.

End of Chapter 5

 **News: Every 5-10 chapters will be dream chapters so prepare.** **Remember to review and happy reading.**


	6. Chapter 6: Normality dies

**Sorry for the extremely late update. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 6

Mal sat tiredly through History class, tapping her pencil as she listened to her teacher's lecture. Her notebook comprised of random doodles and actual class notes in an unorganized way, becoming the book of every teacher's nightmare.

' _BORING! Can we skip this class?_ '

Unfortunately for Mal, Spirit was still around and still very adamant on making her life hell.

' _Why take this class anyway? We both know you hate it_ ', Spirit said inside Mal's mind.

" I'm trying to become a good queen", Mal murmured exasperated," Don't you wanna be queen one day too?".

" _Nuh uh, darling. I want freedom. Speaking of freedom, can you let me out?_ ', Spirit asked.

This was the hundredth time she asked, causing Mal to groan rather loudly earning stares from the class.

" Miss Mal, do you have any comment on this lesson? If so, do please tell the class"

" No sir", Mal said sheepishly.

The teacher huffed," Very well then, on with the lesson class", he said returning to the class.

Mal glared at her book, grabbing her pencil and began scribbling down a sentence.

' _Ooh, are we playing hangmen? I LOVE hangman, especially when we hang real men!_ '

Mal froze mid-scribble. After a moment, she wrote something new down.

Dang, you got a dark sense of humor

The bell for lunch rang and students immediately leapt up from their seats. Mal got up, popping a piece of candy into her mouth before heading towards the cafeteria.

The half-fae walked outside, lunch tray in hand, towards the table where her friends were seated, which consisted of Evie, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, Ben and Doug.

Her eyes lit up as she and Ben locked gazes, causing the latter to send her cute smile.

" Mal!", he said before he jogged over to her," I didn't see you after you fainted yesterday. Is everything okay?", he asked concerned.

Mal smiled," Everything's fine. I had a nice long chat with my aunt yesterday", she said.

" Aunt?", Doug said alarmed as he looked up from his book.

Lonnie squealed," You have an AUNT! What is she like? Does she look like your mother? Does she have horns? Ooh, details", she said excitedly.

Mal chuckled," No she doesn't have horns. My grandmother couldn't conceive so they adopted instead. She's... really cool and... surprisingly sassy. But I'm still not over the fact of who she is. She's someone I never imagined I'd be related to", she said.

Lonnie frowned," How come?", she asked.

" Her aunt's Blue Fairy", Evie, Jay and Carlos said in unison.

" But she prefers Nova Dahl", Evie added.

" Okay so lemme get this straight: Your mother is Maleficent, the Mistress of Evil and your aunt is Blue Fairy... which means your grandparents are the emperor and empress of Fantasia...", Doug said slack-jawed," You... are one VERY WELL protected child".

" How come?", Lonnie asked intrigued.

" Mal is said to be the last heir of the Fantasian Empire. And since she's the last and only heir, Fantasia will do everything in its power to make sure Mal's safe until she can learn to control her magic and take care of herself", Jane explained.

" How are you feeling about all of this?", Ben asked concerned.

" Honestly... I'm shitting my pants right now. Just yesterday I was your average redeemed VK. Now I'm an heir to the throne of a magical empire and my AUNT IS BLUE FUCKING FAIRY!", Mal exclaimed before slamming her head on the table.

' _Way too be overdramatic, princess_ '

" Shut up Spirit!", Mal yelled suddenly.

Everyone except Jay and Jane stared at her weirdly at her outburst.

" So I see you met your spirit", Jane said calmly to evert the awkward silence.

" Spirit?", Ben said frowning.

" Yes, I'll explain it later. By the way, Mal, all you gotta do is snap your fingers and say release", Jane said.

" Release?", Mal said with uncertainty as she snapped her fingers, the same green aura appearing around her finger tips

She felt Spirit slip and tumble out of her, turning around to see her magic face-flat on the ground.

" Oh, so that's what they look like for you guys", Jay said smirking.

" What are you guys looking at?", Ben inquired.

" Yeah, I literally see nothing but the grass", Lonnie said confused.

" It's a magic thing", Jane said with a shrug," She's actually really... more Isle-like than I expected".

" Not surprised. Saw this coming from a mile away", Jay said nonchalantly, confusing the normal people.

" Y'know what? I learned not to question magic years back. I'm heading to the library", Doug said as he finished his sandwich," Care to join for a library date, Evie?".

" Of course", Evie said smiling after being in a daze at the misty figure on the ground that fell out of Mal," Let's go", she said before taking one last glance at Spirit before leaving.

The bell rang signaling the end of break, which meant classes resumed. Without Spirit, Mal hoped she could focus much easier in classes.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned towards Jane who looked at her with concern and sheepishness.

" You're turning 18 soon", Jane said softly.

" Yeah, in exactly 2 months from now", Mal said calmly," Why does that bother you?".

" You'll probably go to Fantasia around then", Jane said," How are you going to be queen when you're already an empress?".

Mal sighed," I don't know. I have a plan but I doubt it's full-proof", she said.

" What is it?", Jane asked.

They walked in the hallway slowly towards their free period.

" My uncle, Aaron. Maybe he's got a kid that's older than me... who can rule", Mal suggested.

" But Prince Aaron hasn't been seen in centuries. How are you even going to find him, no less his own children?", Jane asked.

" That's why I said I doubt it's a full proof plan. But I've got 2 months to turn all this in my favour again so I'm taking what I can find. There has to be a clue or something. No one just runs off the face of the earth without leaving something behind", Mal said thoughtfully.

" There is such thing called a location spell", Jane said," But it requires an item they may have cherished, like that will be easy to find".

" Maybe Aunt Nova has something", Mal murmured," I'm going to her this Friday, maybe she owns something Aaron may have lost".

" Hopefully, and I'll try and find that location spell at the Enchanted Library", Jane said before she began walking faster.

" You're helping me? Why?", Mal asked.

" Because if you leave, Audrey could easily become queen bee again. And no one wants that. There's finally equality around here and I'd hate to see everyone back to the status quo. Plus...", Jane paused, looking quite embarrassed," ...It's nice to have another fairy around", she said quietly.

Mal smiled gently, giving Jane's shoulder a supportive squeeze," Same here", she said softly.

The two walked into the study hall quietly, sitting down next to each other in a comfortable silence. A feeling of peace momentarily overcoming them, despite unknown danger lurking in the shadows.

Three woman-like shadows appeared, gazing at Mal with deep interest.

" _This one, my dear sisters, will be very... useful... for us_ "

End of Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7: Mother

**It's been a while since the last update, I know. But I've come to make it up to you all!**

Chapter 7: Mother

Mal laughed as she and Ben walked side-by-side, her beloved cracking a lame joke that she couldn't help but laugh at the attempt.

Things were going as they normally would so far, minus the quips from Spirit here and there but despite that, all was well.

Well, at least until school ended.

" So... have you heard from your aunt yet?", Ben asked.

" No. She said she'd see me Friday for the earliest. I think she's planning on taking me out for the weekend... y'know for some family bonding", Mal said," Never thought I'd hear those words out of my mouth before".

Ben chuckled," So... do you like her? Do you feel safe with her?", he asked.

" Honestly, I don't know what to think yet. I still have SO many questions... like my grandparents... do I have cousins... my uncle... there's just so much and I'm not sure show many she could answer", Mal said with a nervous chuckle," I just hope its good answers".

" Hey, can't get any worse than your mother, right?", Ben asked playfully.

Mal laughed nervously, remembering she never told Ben about her demon uncle," I guess you're right", she said before giving him a chaste kiss.

" Ahem"

Mal and Ben jumped in surprise, taken completely off guard by the arrival of another person. Circe grinned when she saw their tomatoes-red faces flush in embarrassment.

" Oops", Circe said amused.

" Where did you come from?", Ben questioned.

" Fantasia", Circe said cheekily," I humbly request a private audience with Lady Mal", she continued.

Ben looked uncertain until Mal placed a reassuring hand on his arm before he slowly backed away.

" I'll be fine", she mouthed before returning to Circe," Sure, what do you need?".

" How about the two of us go for a walk and we'll talk about it then?", Circe suggested.

" Sure", Mal said casually.

They made it over to the courtyard, where the scorch marks from either Nova's landing or Mal's magic left a patch of soil open to the grass. Mal had let a smile slip onto her face at the memory. Who knew something good could come out of a horrible situation?

" So what did you wanna talk about?", Mal asked.

" Things. Your life so far. Maybe your mother. But I'd rather speak with Mally face-to-face on that little piece", Circe said casually.

" Okay. How about in return, you tell me about the rest of my family", Mal replied.

Circe shrugged," Sure, I don't mind. So... you first", she said.

" Are you related to my mother as well?", Mal asked.

" I'm her godmother. My... older sisters was close friends with your grandmother. We're like... that chosen family", Circe explained," I'm guessing your mother never told you about her past, huh?".

" She only ever went on about the 'cursing entire kingdoms' part. Which I'm starting to doubt the more I think about it", Mal said," Things were so less complicated back when I thought she could only be evil".

" Eh, not sure about the cursing kingdoms part. Sounds like something Aaron would've done if he hadn't softened up when it came to the era where Maleficent was around", Circe said thoughtfully.

" What was he like? Aaron...", Mal asked curiously.

Circe smiled," He was in the making of becoming a good emperor. Loyal, wise, a great leader. His father was beyond proud of him of his outstanding achievements. But being a demon... he had a darker... less princely side to him that he hid from the Magic Council", she said gravely," We never knew why he ran. But we figured he wasn't ready for the imperial life", she sighed.

" What about my grandparents?", Mal asked.

" Empress Nefaria is sweet... but ruthless to those outside her kin. A powerful witch queen marrying a demon emperor would do such things", Circe said," But the marriage didn't affect her overall personality. She's a very nice woman. Your grandfather is a similar case except he tends to close off most of his feelings. He was not really a 'let's talk about our feelings' sort of man. Possibly the reason why they had a rocky beginning in their courting".

Mal nodded, feeling she could relate to her grandfather on some sort of emotional level as the memories of her struggling to figure out her feelings for Ben and Auradon in the beginning.

" Does anyone... know my mother's... real parents?", Mal asked.

Circe shook her head," When Nefaria found Maleficent, the girl was roughly the human equivalent to seven... raised by the crows out in the Outerlands", she explained," They've tried tracing her clan but it's been found that her village had been raided by enemy powers... she is the last of her kind".

" Oh my gosh...", Mal gasped," Does Mom- uh Maleficent remember?".

" Ezekiel, her father... your grandfather... told her when she was old enough to handle it well. She grieved but moved on", Circe said," Though Aaron begged to differ. According to him, she was still very upset about the entire thing".

Mal frowned, feeling slightly sorry for her mother.

" Mal... I didn't ask you this immediately... but I really do need to see your mother at this moment", Circe said as they stopped.

" Why?", Mal asked worriedly.

" I need to ask a couple of questions", Circe said simply.

" And this couldn't be said in front of Ben because..."

" Mal please", Circe pleaded.

The teen sighed," She's in my room. It's just this way", she said before she and Circe walked on.

XXX

Circe stood awkwardly in the dorm rooms. Her last memory of this area was when they were still prepping the school for its first set of students. Flora and Merryweather were arguing over what colour, as per usual, was more suitable for the rooms. Fortunately Circe left before the argument got messy.

But it seems its known now who won.

Mal walked back with a large terrarium in her arms that was filled with plastic vegetation to give off the appearance of actual nature. Inside the glass cage, perched on a rock was a tiny lizard.

" This is Mom", Mal said as she set the terrarium on the table.

Circe wrinkled her nose," She's so tiny...", she noted.

" Well according to Fairy Godmother, she shrank to the size of the amount of love in her heart, which is why she's so and I quote 'itty bitty'", Mal said as she opened the top to place her mother's lunch inside.

" Does she bite?", Circe asked with a smirk.

" Yes, as often as she can. You don't know how many trips to the clinic I went through before deciding to just keep a supply of anti-venom in my room", Mal said with a small snort before frowning," Ben says I should let her go but... she's my mother... it's very hard to let go of your mother".

Circe smiled sympathetically, touching Mal's shoulder gently," I know it's hard. I've been there before. My mother was a crooked woman but... I still loved her", she said.

Mal smiled gratefully before looking back at the lizard," So... what did you want to do with her", she asked.

" Ah yes, there's a spell that will allow us to communicate with her", Circe said as she brought her wand out.

" Like actual talk or..."

" Telepathically. I don't want to give whoever's your roommate nightmares by allowing Mally to speak", Circe said.

" Oh thank goodness. Because I fed a dog a truth gummy once- by accident and now it's talking... and it hasn't worn off", Mal said relieved.

Circe paused," ...I'll talk with Nova over that", she said before chanting a spell in her native tongue, the room suddenly having a golden hue to it.

Mal looked around at the golden aura in fascination. It was quite impressive. But then she was greeted with something... or someone she thought she'd never hear again.

" Mal..."

" Mom?"

" How're you doing, jewel?"

An old childhood nickname her mother gave when both her parents were together. Back when her mother was much softer. It filled Mal with an ancient familiar feeling.

" I'm... good I guess", Mal said hesitantly.

A part of her wondered if her mother was okay, because this behavior was rather odd of her mother.

" Do you like your aunt? How is Nova? Did she find Aaron yet?", she asked.

Mal was freaking out on the inside. Why was her mother so nice. Where was the berating? The evil laugh? The taunting? The disappointment speech?! Where was all of that?!

" Mom, are you okay?", Mal asked concerned.

" What kind of a question is that?"

" Maleficent", Circe started," I see you're doing well".

" Circe", was all she said.

" How has life been treating you so far, dear?", Circe asked.

" I'm a lizard and my diet consists of crickets and any bug Mal killed that I can eat. I'm doing fantastically", Maleficent said," OF COURSE I'M NOT OKAY!".

Mal sighed in relief when her mother's behavior turned normal. A gentle Maleficent was scarier than angry Maleficent.

Circe huffed," At least it's better than that island, is it not?", she said.

Maleficent scoffed," At least there, I wouldn't have to see any of you for the life of me", she sneered.

" Except Hades"

" DON'T BRING UP THAT FOOL!", Maleficent roared.

Mal snorted quietly, her mother was definitely back to normal.

" Mal"

Her attention was immediately brought to her mother, her lizard eyes staring into her soul.

" Stay away from Aurora", Maleficent said gravely," For your own good".

A rapid knocking on the door occurred and then a voice," Mal? Is Circe in there with you?".

" It's Fairy Godmother", Circe hissed, releasing the spell.

" Wait no-", Mal said before the door opened to reveal a worried FGM.

" Circe, there you are! His majesty wants you to meet with him immediately", FG said hurriedly.

" But I just saw Ben earlier, why didn't he say then?", Circe said confused.

" Not Ben... his father", Fairy Godmother said dreadfully.

All the colour on Circe's face drained at the statement. But she swallowed her fear and turned to Mal with a nervous smile.

" We'll talk another day", Circe said carefully.

Mal nodded before Circe walked out of the room. Fairy Godmother eyed the woman before turning to Mal, who gazed at her mother's cage longingly.

" Mal dear, is everything okay?", the old fairy asked.

Mal snapped out of her daze and smiled at the fairy," Yes, everything's fine. I was just... thinking", she said.

FGM smiled sadly," Would you like to join me for some tea to talk about it?", she asked.

Mal smiled at the offer," Yes, thank you", she said," I'll catch up soon".

Fairy Godmother nodded before exiting the room.

Mal turned her gaze back to the terrarium, to her mother. She placed her hands longingly on the glass before leaving it sadly. Mal had, honestly, wished to talk with her mother a little more...

" See ya later, Mom", Mal said softly before leaving the room.

With her back turned to the cage and out the door, Mal smiled as she walked out of the room, feeling slightly happier than she had all day. And as the door to the dorm room shut...

... A certain lizard grew an inch longer...

End of Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8: Meanwhile on the Isle

**Decided to update earlier than usual, the more than 100 follows and the reviews does that to me. So here you go!**

Chapter 8: Meanwhile on the Isle

Mother's Day passed like any other day on the Isle.

Holidays was not things to celebrated on the Isle (although villains have a soft spot for Halloween). And despite most villains being decent parents, they were hardly attentive, almost bordering on neglectful.

The streets of Mean Street bustled with life as dwellers went about their daily routine. However one such isle dweller, VK to be specific, was in his own vast little world.

Hadrion, known by literally everyone except his father as Hadie, stood with a slouch against a food stall run by an 'acquaintance' he liked to call Puppet, reading a document that got handed to him by a younger kid.

" Auradon Prep, eh?", 'Puppet' said as he took his inventory and threw it into a trash bag he originally found the food in.

" Why else would Auradon send these letters?", Hadie said as he folded it up and placed it in his pocket for his father later," According to Claudine, the entire Anti-Hero club is heading there".

" You think this is your sister's doing?", Puppet asked with a smirk.

" I'll be surprised if it's not. I'm not even sure if Kingy boy knows his girlfriend's my twin", Hadie said," We'll be collected next Monday for the earliest. Apparently something about... more preparations to be done. I don't know. I hardly watch the news except to see how my sis is doing".

" What's the deal with your sis anyway?", Puppet asked curiously as he lit a cigarette alight," Last time I checked, your Mommy and Daddy were having marital issues".

" They do. On Mom's side at least. Dad's just waitin' for her to burn out and at least allow Mal to see him again", Hadie said with a shrug," Apparently, she was less stubborn when she was younger".

" Well to be honest, she's ridiculously stubborn and cruel now, well, before she turned into a lizard", Puppet noted as they walked towards Facilier's arcade together.

" True, Puppet, true", Hadie said playfully.

Puppet growled," Dude, really. C'mon, you know my real name bro", he said annoyed.

" Yeah, yeah, 'Stephano', but Puppet's so much cuter don't you think?", Hadie said jokingly," Considering your dad is Stromboli the puppet obsesser".

" I'd say enthusiast, Hades", Stromboli said as Dr Facilier walked beside him.

" There's a difference?", Hadie questioned before Stephano jabbed his elbow into the demigod's side.

" Hey Papa", Stephano said respectfully.

" Son, how goes it with the food stalls?", Stromboli asked as he and his son walked further away together.

" So boy, I hear ya goin' to Auradon in a coup' la days. Lookin' forward to seein' ya sister, eh?", Facilier said as he addressed Hadie.

" I guess", Hadie shrugged, not admitting he was somewhat excited to his twin again.

Facilier laughed and joked with the boy until they reached the secluded area where Facilier's office found refuge. There, all humour drained from the voodoo man's face.

Hadie was surprised to find his father sitting in the office quietly as he tossed his ember up and down boredly until he noticed his son's presence.

" Hadrion, sit", Hades said sternly, causing the boy to obey his father.

Rarely was Hades the serious type, the god was a lover of fun and rock music. So when Hadie saw his father in a foul mood and stern as a rock, he knew it wasn't his chance to fight.

" So, I guess the news got spread, huh", Hadie said nervously.

" That Jace kid can't keep his trap shut about it, no matter how many times Diego tells him to", Facilier said," But that's not the point. Celia, child, come. We'll leave the Olympians to talk this out".

The girl who Hadie hadn't noticed until she punched his arm skipped out in front of her father before Facilier closed the door, leaving the boy alone with his father.

" Dad, is everything okay?", Hadie asked.

Hades paused, ember tight in hand," No its not", he growled.

" I don't have to go to Auradon if you don't want me to. I can stay", Hadie said.

" It's not that. I want you to go to Auradon", Hades said, although his voice was strained when he mentioned the kingdom across the sea," The Fates contacted me this morning".

Hadie's eyes widened," Really? Why? What did they say? Is something wrong with Mal? Or... me?", he asked genuinely nervous.

Hades shook his head," Your sister and you are safe... for now. They've delivered news that might lead... to the downfall of Auradon", he said gravely.

" But that's good, isn't it? We can all finally be free from this dump", Hadie said happily.

" No, it's far from it", Hades said darkly.

Hadie's hopeful expression faltered," Someone's going to die, aren't they?", he said.

Hades was quiet, which was all the confirmation Hadie needed.

" I wish I could tell you, but when you go to Auradon and as their time draws closer... you'll know", Hades said quietly.

There was a silence that separated the father and son as they were trapped within their own deep thoughts. Hades fiddled with his ember before reaching into his pocket and handing Hadie a small box.

" This is for you and Malca", Hades said, using the original name he gave to Mal before Maleficent decided to be a prick," You can open it when you head to Auradon... call it a really early birthday gift".

Hadie blinked," You've never given me a present before. What's so special about this year?", he asked.

Hades smirked," It's your 18th birthday. Thought you'd want something to remember me by when you leave this dump", he said," And to remind your sister I still care".

Hadie nodded, understanding his father's reasoning," ...I'm going to miss you...", he said softly.

Hades smiled, holding his arm out to give his son a side hug, which the boy gladly returned. He loved his children with all his immortal heart, Mal and Hadie meant so much to him and it hurts that he would eventually let his son go. His main regret was leaving Mal with her unstable mother, damaging their relationship. But he hoped Nova would help them... and Maleficent too...

The night before Mother's Day, Hades noticed how brighter the sky outside the barrier had become, meaning Nova was summoned. She was released and here to bring her family back into the light.

' You better take care of Malca and Hadrion, star. They're really all I have left'

XXX

" So the letters have been sent for the new isle kids", Ben announced.

The king stood before the royal court, compromising of the royals of the different united kingdoms and the sidekick council, with additionally a new booth reserved for Evie and Mal, the former being his new Ambassador and the latter Lady of the Court.

Mal squealed in delight, hugging her boyfriend gratefully while her friends cheered on behind her. This was fantastic news for them.

" Are you sure about this? I mean, remember what happened with that Uma girl?", King Stefan said with a shiver.

" I am. And it's different this time. I had Mal and Evie draw up the lists and give advice on who deserves it most", Ben explained.

" WITH Carlos and I's input of course", Jay said confidently, Carlos rolling his eyes.

" Of course", Ben said chuckling.

" Most of these children seem to have come from more minor villains", Fairy Godmother said, hoping to put them all at ease.

" Except this... Hadrion boy... the son of Hades", King Charming said with uncertainty.

" Hades", Zeus lifted his head up at the mention of his estranged brother," Hades has another child".

" Yes, my twin brother. And he prefers to be called Hadie", Mal said calmly.

" Are you sure this is a good idea?", Zeus said frowning.

" The Anti-Hero club have been around ever since the coronation. Yen Sid says their all ready to integrate into Auradon. I believe they're good kids", Mal said faithfully," If you're having second thoughts because of my brother, don't worry, Hadie didn't inherit our dad's temper".

The royals looked a little relieved.

" Can't say the same for myself", Mal muttered as she continued reading through the agenda.

" So Fairy Godmother, how are the rooms coming along?", Ben asked.

" They should be completed before the children arrive", Fairy Godmother replied.

" Alright... we've come to the end of our meeting. Anything anyone would like to add... No... Alright meeting adjourned"

XXX

Mal walked down the stairs leaving the dorms, meeting Jane at the bottom.

" Hey, excited for your weekend with your aunt?", Jane asked.

" Two-thirds excited, a third nervous", Mal admitted.

" Understandable, some folks say Blue Fairy is a little intimidating", Jane said giggling before sighing," I wish I could meet her".

" Why don't you?", Mal asked.

" Mom won't let me", Jane said before looking around carefully," Do be honest, I think those two have some beef going on".

Mal raised an eyebrow," Seriously?", she asked.

" It looks so", Jane said shrugging," Mom never did like Blue Fairy".

" Hmmm", Mal hummed," I guess I'll just ask Nova about it when we get to her cottage".

" MAL!"

" Coming!", Mal yelled back before turning to Jane," See ya Sunday!"

" You too!", Jane replied.

Mal smiled as she saw Nova stand outside a white Lamborghini, looking at her nails nonchalantly while avoiding eye contact with Fairy Godmother.

' Maybe Jane was right about those two', Mal thought.

" Hey Aunt Nova", Mal said gaining the fairy's attention.

" Oh there you dear. It's great to see you again", Nova said giving her niece a hug," Excited for our weekend?".

" Yep", Mal said as she placed her bag in the trunk.

" Remember Nova, have her back before supper on Sunday. Monday is very important", Fairy Godmother said sternly.

" But of course. I get to meet my nephew. Why wouldn't it be important?", Nova said smiling.

Fairy Godmother sent Nova a pointed look," Sunday. Supper time. She must not be late", she said.

" Mal darling, why don't you get in the car?", Nova said sweetly before returning to Fairy Godmother once Mal got in and was out of earshot," Always a stickler for time, eh Aunt Ti", she teased.

Fairy Godmother **glared** at the woman," Don't give me that tone, young lady. Your sister was uncontrollable. She would've been the downfall of everything your mother, my SISTER, worked hard for", she hissed quietly.

Nova growled, leaning into the old fairy's ear," Maleficent was a good fairy before you and those nuisances in red, blue and green tore her down. I won't make the same mistakes you made Aunt Titania. Mal's proven herself and I don't want her to have a relationship like ours. Now...", Nova said stepping back," If you'll excuse me, I best be leaving with my niece", she said before heading towards the driver's door," Oh... and I'll bring her back... after supper... Tata...", and with that, Nova got into the car and drove off with Mal.

Fairy Godmother, or Titania, sighed as she looked on, feeling a headache come on. For years, there had been a strain on her and her niece's relationship, especially considering the other niece. She had hoped Mal's appearance would soften the light fairy but it seems not.

Titania groaned, a shrill shiver creeping up her spine. An action that did not go unnoticed by her daughter.

" Mom, are you okay?", Jane asked worriedly.

" I'm fine dear one", Titania said tiredly," I'll be fine. Just give me a moment", she added.

Jane nodded before taking her mother's silence as a cue to leave, but paused for a short moment.

" Mom... a man called... Oberon called in earlier", Jane said nervously.

Fairy Godmother's breathing hitched when Jane said that name. That cursed name she hoped her daughter would never say.

" What did he want, dear?", Titania asked, her voice tight.

Jane swallowed," He said he wanted to see the two of us next Saturday", she said," Is h-he... my father?".

The Fairy Godmother Titania sighed," Yes my darling, yes he is", she said quietly.

She could hear a tear drop from her baby's face and she turned the girl, taking her into a hug. Titania hugged her daughter tighter as she felt her own tears begin to fall.

' Mother Hecate, have mercy on my family and my sister's family's souls. For I fear dark times are upon us'

End of Chapter 8

 **So I've revealed that Mal, Nova and Fairy Godmother is related and that FGM is ultimately Titania, the Queen of Fairies. They'll be more on that later.**

 **I actually went ahead to research Greek Gods or mythical gods in general so I can formulate one hectic family tree that's gonna have Mal be having a headache for a week. So far, its an interesting bit and I will have Mal go through the family tree one chapter.**

 **So I've incorporated Hadie (so get ready for sibling mischief and Anti-Heroes people) into the story and finally introduced my version of Hades that mixed with D3's one and the one I essentially was gonna bring in. I know in the Isle books, Hadie is younger but this really isn't following much of that canon. Most of what I can say: The events happened, but there's added people.**

 **D3 ain't canon, you can count the characters being there, but the story however...**

 **And the Mal's name story. It goes like this in here: Maleficent is the name her mother gave her after her father and brother left. Malca is the name her father gave her and is the one on her birth certificate. Hadrion came because Hadie sounded more like a nickname to me.**

 **To add for fun:** **-Malca means 'queen' and Hadrion means 'wealthy'.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Manor

Chapter 9: The Manor

Mal watched as the tall trees seemingly zoomed past them as she was sitting in the front seat of Nova's car. The Enchanted Woods was as beautiful as the rare times her mother would speak about it. Truly a marvelous sight.

" You know the Enchanted Wood is my favourite area in Auradon. The city and the suburbs are a little too... stuffy for me. Give me woodlands and magical creatures anytime over wifi and annoying perky neighbors anytime", Nova said as they drove up to a clearing where a beautiful cottage-like manor stood before them, with a little stream just metres away.

" Woah", Mal said breathlessly," We're staying here".

" Uh huh. This is actually our family's holiday cottage we'll be staying in", Nova said as she got out of the car and headed for the trunk.

" This is beautiful", Mal said as she stepped through the gates, eying the garden that surrounded the front yard," Is that nightshade?".

" Oh yes. Nanny liked to grow her herbs here whenever she comes. Perfect soil, she says", Nova said as she handed her niece her bags," Some of these herbs might be useful for later".

Mal smiled," Magic lessons?", she asked excitedly.

" Indeed", Nova said as she whisked out some keys and opened the door.

The inside of the cottage was as beautiful as the outside. Cream mixed with brown and gold that spiraled through the whole house. Mal found herself enchanted by the whole structure.

" Looks like something straight out of a storybook", Mal murmured.

" That was Nanny's intention", Nova said smiling," You should see the palace back in Fantasia".

Mal grinned," Must be something, huh", she said.

" It is", Nova said smiling fondly," There are some open rooms for you to choose upstairs. Here are the keys. Make yourself comfortable while I cook us up some supper".

Mal grinned as she took the keys and raced upstairs with her bags. There were about four bedrooms upstairs to choose from, all of which were of unique designs, as if the rooms were designed for a specific someone.

It was the last room that caught Mal's eye. Lilac was its main colour, mixed with white and silver. It faced towards the backyard of the manor and through the window where several lights and small streams of smoke could be seen through the dense trees, remembering Nova mentioned much earlier that there was a village situated close to the manor. The queen-sized bed had its head faced towards the bay window that looked out towards the village, the sheets white and blanket a deep lavender. But what interested Mal was the ladder that lead through the roof. Climbing up, Mal found herself in what looked to be a small hideaway. Bottles and jars were strewn about and a large pillow settled next to a small low standing table, where a book sat undisturbed by the dust surrounding it. To Mal, it reminded her of an old magic workshop much like the one Yen Sid described to have had on the mountains one class.

" This is definitely the one", Mal murmured before climbing back down to unpack.

" Mal!", Nova called.

" Coming!", Mal replied, abandoning her clothes.

Mal made it downstairs to see Nova setting two plates down on the dining table.

" What did you make?", Mal asked," Smells delicious".

" Ratatouille", Nova replied," It's a favourite of mine".

" Okay", Mal said as she grabbed them some forks so they can sit down and eat.

Taking a small bite, Mal hummed in delight at the delicious taste," This is delicious. Who taught you to make this?".

" A rat named Remy", Nova replied," Sweet fella really. He owns the restaurant of his late idol now".

" I thought Auradon had a thing against rats, especially after the whole 'Dr Ratigan' thing and the fight on that clock", Mal said as she took another bite.

" Yes. That's why he has only his chains outside of Auradon. This country I swear the people are so biased", Nova said exasperated.

Mal smiled," They're changing a bit though", she said.

" True. But there's still so much to desire", Nova said cringing," But enough of that, dig in".

They ate in a comfortable silence. Mal gazed around the room while softly chewing, admiring the decor and overall architecture of the home. She eyed the paintings and portraits, particularly one of a man and woman standing closely together looking far off.

The man was of a broad build, dark raven hair and a face full of hair that same colour but grayed through years. Blood red eyes, as red as the rubies in his platinum crown, stared sternly on despite gently touching the woman's hand.

The woman next to him had curly but short dirty blonde hair, topped with a gold crown. Her amber eyes stared with a similar stern pretense but Mal could detect a hidden warmth behind her eyes. The corners of her lips were upturned, as if she was holding back her true smile.

" Those are your grandparents", Nova stated, noticing Mal's staring.

" That's them", Mal said as she got up from the table and walked over to the fireplace," They look so young".

" This portrait was from before I had came to Earth. So they won't look exactly the same. Pretty sure Father would have more grays in his beard now. Nanny would probably have more wrinkles too", Nova said fondly.

" Came to Earth?", Mal questioned.

Nova's eyes widened," Oh yes! Completely forgot that detail. I wasn't born like Maleficent, or hatched from an egg like Aaron. I was a star in my previous life", she said quietly.

" A star. You mean you were a big ball of gas?"

" Don't put it like that. Anyway, yes I was a ball of _energy_... sort of. I was made when one of the stars more closer to Earth died and formed myself and I fell down towards Fantasia. I landed in Fantasia after light years of falling and landed in Nanny's sun drop flower garden. Maleficent found me and since then, I was just a part of the family", Nova said fondly," Nobody questioned when or where the new princess came from. Although a few asked why I was glowing? Father was quick to silence them. He would not have the public question about my physical body. He feared I'd become self-conscious".

" Did you?", Mal asked quietly.

" ...For a while, yes. My aunt Titania was very clear in her distrust of me. But I swear she was outright biased against poor Maleficent", Nova muttered angrily," All because she was the only one of her kind to have horns".

Mal looked on sadly," Titania sounds like a bitch", she said.

Nova snorted," Understatement, dear", she murmured. The fairy wondered how long it would take the girl to figure out Titania was Fairy Godmother.

Deciding to change the topic, Mal spoke again," So Gramps is a demon, right? Why doesn't he have horns?", she asked, curling her fingers on top of her head to make the figure of horns.

Nova chuckled," There was always that small misconception that all demons had horns", she said," Only hell-forged demons have horns. Father was a fallen one, ergo, he got the wings but missed out on the horns".

" Did Uncle Aaron have horns?", Mal asked curiously.

" His mother was hell-forged so yes. Aaron had, unfortunately, gotten the horns", Nova said smirking," They had to make his crown in a way so they don't get stuck or look awkward on his head".

Mal snorted at the mental imagery.

The chimes of the grandfather clock took Mal and Nova out of their little history lesson. Nova looked at thr time and frowned a little.

" It's nine. A little late for a magic lesson, unfortunately", Nova said frowning.

" Dang it. Was really looking forward to making my own personal bubble", Mal groaned.

" Chin up, Mali. There's always tomorrow", Nova said," You can head up to your room while I sort some last minute things out".

Mal nodded before leaving the lounge to head up to her new bedroom.

Nova stared on fondly at the girl's retreating form. A vision of her mother was all the blue fairy could think about, but the teen girl was still her own self which made Nova admire her even more.

" You two would love her", Nova said softly looking at the portrait.

A crackle of a magic portal opening up in the manor knocked Nova out of her daydream and into a defensive mode, wand and wings out. The portal had an electric yellow energy unlike Nova's ever seen. The person who stumbled through however, was someone who Nova knew all too well.

" Snow White?", Nova said shocked.

The queen of Charmimgton gazed up, her normal brown eyes were now glowing that same electric yellow, with added sparks that flew out of her eyes. In her bleeding hand, was two mirror shards that seemed to have started reconnecting.

" Blue... help me...", Snow whimpered before fainting, the portal closing but her hand remained bleeding.

Nova dropped to her side and carefully took the queen's hand to find the mirror shard deep in her hand.

" Oh dear god", she murmured, praying Mal didn't hear the commotion.

End of Chapter 9


	10. Chapter 10: Things escalate

**So things'll get a little different now so hold on tight**

* * *

Chapter 10: Things escalate

S _omething struck Mal about the place she was in. It was dark and cold, with ashes flying everywhere as flames grew higher and higher._

 _Screams were heard and the sound of marching armour against the uneven land echoed in her ears._

 _" What's going on", Mal murmured._

 _Mal gasped as someone practically flew through her before landing roughly on the ground. She whipped around in a panic and her jaw dropped at the sight of a bloodied Gaston looking beyond her with a terrified expression._

 _" I WAS TRICKED, YA HEAR ME?! IT WASN'T ME! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN! PLEASE! I WAS TRICKED!!", Gaston exclaimed pleadingly as several guards surrounded him with chains._

 _Mal gasped as she watched a chained Gaston get dragged away by those soldiers._

 _This was the War of Villains and Heroes she was witnessing._

 _" Spirit!", Mal called out._

 _Spirit appeared right next to her and blanched at the scene before them. Her eyes widened and grabbed hold of Mal's wrist._

 _" We have to go!", Spirit exclaimed._

 _" Go?! Go where?!", Mal shrieked._

 _" Where the dream leads us to" Spirit said simply as she opened a random door and appeared right outside a castle._

 _" Where are we?", Mal asked," Is this..."._

 _" Germania. Otherwise known as Old Charmington", Spirit said as she and Mal rushed in past the swarming guards._

 _" The Evil Queen has Snow White trapped up in the tower!", one of the guards yelled._

 _" And that's exactly where we need to go", Mal muttered to Spirit who led them to where the Evil Queen's old workshop was situated._

 _And there they were, Snow White and the Evil Queen Grimhilde. Face to face._

 _" Snow...", Grimhilde said quietly._

 _Mal was taken back. Through all her years on the Isle, the Queen never appeared so soft spoken._

 _" No, I REFUSE TO HAND YOU OVER!", Snow yelled," Now that I know the truth I refuse to hand you over!"._

 _This confused Mal even further. This didn't look like a hostage situation like the guards implied it to be._

 _It honestly looked like Snow was holding GRIMHILDE hostage._

 _" Those soldiers will tear the palace down, you crazy girl! There's nothing we can do", Grimhilde reasoned._

 _" We destroyed the mirror! You're back to your old self again, Mother. There has to be a way for them to see the story's not over", Snow said panicking," The Sisters! They can help us!"._

 _" Creator forbid we do that!", Grimhilde hissed," They gave me the mirror in the first place!"._

 _" Then call Maleficent or somebody!", Snow pleaded," Please! I can't lose you too..."._

 _Mal's jaw dropped at the whole conversation as she watched. This was very different from what she was taught. Snow and Grimhilde looked so close._

 _" Oh Snow...", Grimhilde cooed._

 _" She's performing a spell", Spirit said._

 _" How do you know?", Mal asked._

 _" The atmosphere changed. And by the looks of it, Snow White notices as well", Spirit said, narrowing her eyes at the last detail," How strange..."._

 _Mal ignored Spirit's last comment and opted to watch further._

 _" As the light of goodness still shines upon you-"_

 _Snow started crying," Please don't do this...", she begged as Grimhilde hugged her._

 _" I only wished that you don't follow the path of your wretched aunts. For you to live in peace... even if I'm not there... even if you can't remember me..."_

 _" No please. Mother, I beg of you stop!"_

 _" Goodnight Snow", with a kiss on her forehead, Snow White fell limp in the Queen's arms._

 _The door was barged open and soldiers came swarming in to grab the woman._

 _" Snow!", King Florian, her husband ran in with worry as he cradled his wife," WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER YOU WITCH!"._

 _" Don't call her a witch!", Mal yelled but Spirit held her back._

 _" This is a past event. There's nothing you can do to stop what happened", Spirit said almost mournfully._

 _And with that, the dream ended._

* * *

The Evil Queen Grimhilde stood at a table in a sort of workshop area.

It resembled her old one, except it lacked many ingredients and had a surplus of notebooks. But at least she managed to remember every little spell in her old books by heart, writing them down.

Evie had no idea this place existed in their castle and Grimhilde figured Evie would find out about it eventually.

Maybe even tonight.

Grimhilde still had many regrets over the past 22 years. But there was no time to wallow as your daughter grows older and more beautiful by the year. Now she had a limited time left.

It was packing book after book into a safe all by herself. No one besides herself knew of this place and she'd like to keep it that way until Evie or Snow manages to find it.

There was a creek and Grimhilde froze. Kicking the safe into the open wall compartment and messing up the area to make it seem like she was busy with something important. She made sure the safe was unnoticeable before looming over a small table.

It was time.

" Oh Grimhilde..."

" Hello ladies", Grimhilde said calmly.

" It's been so long... gaining wrinkles we see"

" How rude of you. What do you want Odd Sisters?!", Grimhilde demanded.

" You know what we want Grimhilde...", one of them giggled.

A hand slammed on the desk but the Evil Queen did not flinch. She was expecting hostility.

" Where is Prince Aaron", they growled.

" Who?", Grimhilde asked.

" Don't play airhead with us! YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT", they hissed," So tell us, our dear cousin-in-law, where is the heir of Fantasia".

" Most likely dead. No one that powerful would be allowed in this dump. Chernabog got lucky in that department...", Grimhilde muttered.

" WHERE IS HE?", they shrieked.

" Even if I knew where he was. I wouldn't tell you at all!", Grimhilde growled.

" TELL US!", they shrieked.

" Over my dead body", Grimhilde exclaimed.

The Odd Sisters, Ruby, Lucinda and Martha, grinned wickedly at each other as they eyed the old queen.

" That can be arranged...", Lucinda said madly.

She knew this day would come as she felt her body smash through the glass window. If the glass digging into her back didn't kill, the impact will. Her mind drifted peacefully. At least she did the right thing for once. But she still had one regret.

Not saying goodbye to Snow and Evie.

End of Chapter 10

* * *

 **So I know I've been away for a while and I come back only to kill the Evil Queen is most likely not the best comeback. But it can get worst.** **EQ won't be the only person who meets their end in this story**


	11. Chapter 11: Lineage

Chapter 11: Lineage

She had regretted going back to her old kingdom for a short bit.

" You're an Enchantress", Nova said in disbelief.

Shakily holding the tea cup Nova had offered her, Snow White took a sip from the soothing warm drink, feeling her stress slip away one sip at a time.

" So... how long did you know?", Nova asked slowly.

" Honestly, everything just came back to me during the last hour. Grimhilde training me and all that", Snow said as she drew comfort from the blanket Nova had thrown over her shoulders earlier," But this is the first time I actually used it".

Nova nodded, massaging her temple," I thought you wouldn't inherit your father's family's magic", she said.

Snow shrugged," Rare case scenario", she replied.

" This still doesn't explain why you came trampling into my home, when everyone knows I have a sensitive guest over, looking like you're on the run, Snow", Nova huffed.

Snow chuckled nervously," About that... I kind of was", she said.

* * *

It took several deep breaths until Mal fully calmed down. Spirit sat next to her with a supportive hand on her other's shoulder.

The dream was intense... but informative. Many things didn't add up for Mal but such information could still be useful as she had learned from a young age. Gaston's pleas might haunt her for the rest of her life though...

" I need to call Evie", Mal muttered.

" Why?", Spirit questioned.

" 'Cause I had a dream of her mother and technical step sister having a relationship that doesn't scream Stockholm Syndrome like Quasimodo and Frollo. She needs to hear this", Mal said as she typed away on her phone before finding Evie's number.

Putting up a video call, it had taken a few minutes before Evie answered.

The girl was in her pajamas already but still looked wide awake, meaning Mal hadn't disturbed her friend's sleep yet.

" Hey M, what's going on?", Evie asked concerned, seeing her friends face scrunched up in confusion.

" I had a dream about your mother", Mal confessed.

Evie's face morphed into one of pity," I'm sorry my mother had to be the centre of your dream", she said

Mal shook her head," There's nothing to apologise for... it was actually pretty interesting", she confessed," I had a dream, well more a vision, of the war that happened before our parents were locked on the Isle, y'know that process of capturing the villains".

" Yes, I remember that rather vivid history lesson", Evie said," What did you see?".

" Your mom was talking with Snow White. And they were rather friendly with each other. Your mother tried to convince Snow to leave her behind to get to safety because the army was invading", Ma explained," It was pretty jarring. Seeing your mother have some semblance of care for someone".

Evie hummed," Well my mother is a lot more affectionate to me in private", she admitted," But I felt her... holding back y'know. It had hurt, I never understood why she was holding herself back from but... maybe Snow has something to do with it".

Mal nodded before her ears picked up on something. Voices from downstairs. Mal frowned, Nova had never told her about any guests.

" There's someone downstairs", Mal muttered," I'm gonna check it out".

" Want me to end the call?", Evie asked.

" No, there's still a couple of things we need to talk about. Just keep it down", Mal said, causing Evie to nod.

Getting to the stairs was easy enough, with Nova deep in a conversation with the rather familiar woman wrapped in a blanket on the couch. Mal and Evie listened in curiously.

" -looking like you're on the run, Snow", Nova's voice rang out.

The woman in question, who the girls find out to be Snow White, looked nervously at the fairy. Mal noted that Snow did look rather disheveled like she had been running for a while.

Snow's chuckle was nervous," About that... I kind of was...", she said.

Mal's eyes widened at the information. Why would Snow White, a queen for creator's sake, be on the run? From what or who exactly? Nova seemed to have a similar thoughts.

Nova's eyes widened," Someone's after you? Who would be after you?", she said surprised.

" That's the thing that's freaking me out", Snow said," I don't know who would possibly want me out of the picture".

Nova nodded," At least you got away with some of your wits pulled out", she said.

Snow huffed,"Just barely. If I hadn't turned the guy into a rat, I would've been thrown in some river and no one would know what happened", she said staring at her hands.

" Did you recognize him?", Nova asked.

Snow shook her head," No. I've never seen that man before in my entire life", she said," He seemed trained though. Perhaps us royal's dear old friend Vendetta may know him".

Nova raised a brow," You really think Vendetta would betray you and the Council", she said.

' Who's Vendetta?', Mal wondered.

" He could for compensation for his sisters being on the Isle", Snow reasoned," I know I'm still upset about Grimhilde getting sent to that awful place".

" Yes but in exchange for his sisters, the rest of the family is safe", Nova reasoned," Vendetta wouldn't risk it. His daughter is a month away from her due date for her latest baby. Poor girl, one still born and 4 others' hearts had stopped, you'd think she'd go mad".

" Unless she did...", Snow murmured," De Vils are quite renowned for hiding their insanity. Remember Cruella's pre-Dalmatian days".

Mal's eyes widened along with Evie. So Carlos had family in Auradon? Was he aware of this? Just how much did their parents not tell them.

" So we scratch Vendetta out. Anger any gods lately?", Nova asked.

Snow shook her head," I haven't spoken with Hercules and his family since Megara's death a few years ago", she said," And I've never met Hades".

Nova hummed," Well he is a tad bit antisocial but still temperamental", she said before snorting," Me and Malef always used to roast marshmallows on his hair whenever he was pissed off".

Mal bit back a laugh, now that was a story she did recall her mother telling her and Hadie back when they were little, minus the presence of Nova.

Snow smiled," Maleficent sounds so different from you tell me. Reminds me of my mo- stepmother", she said carefully.

" Grimhilde is different from the books on your side too", Nova said with a small smile.

Snow smiled," Not much. She was still really self-confident, like a step closer to being vain. A big fan of beauty. But she gave great political advice... and sometimes she'd let me watch her and my aunties practice their magic", she said happily," We were close at that point... it didn't matter that she wasn't my birth mother. But then... that mirror came along".

Nova frowned," The Magic Mirror? I thought she always owned that thing", she said.

" No the mirror was a wedding anniversary gift from my aunties", Snow said thoughtfully before a frown took place on her face," Speaking of my aunties... I haven't seen them in years".

Mal leaned against the stairs against the stairs. She had been watching Evie's expression as her friend listened in. Confusion, contemplation, and curiosity were all across the princess' face. Hurt was evident earlier when Snow recalled her relationship with the Evil Queen.

" I've been wanting to take Evie in these past few months", Snow admitted.

Mal's jaw dropped at the sudden revelation and Evie looked ready to scream.

" Really?", Nova said eyes widened," I really shouldn't be surprised at the notion... but I'm sensing hesitation".

Snow sighed," Tonight was the cause of that hesitation dear friend. Those people are still after me. And they may try to target anyone I'm close to. I already fear for my husband and children", she explained," Evie's been through so much already. I don't want to drag her into my drama. I already took a big risk going to see her last Sunday".

" Why did you go see her last Sunday?", Nova asked.

" I've been on the hunt for magic mirror shards", Snow confessed," I was already in ownership of three shards but...", she paused as she took out a small flat item wrapped in cloth, unwrapping it to reveal a sparkling mirror shard.

" You lost two?", Nova said confused.

" No. They reconnected", Snow said," The mirror is slowly piecing itself back together".

Nova's eyes widened," It could do that?", she said," Sorry, my magical objects knowledge is rusty".

" I didn't know either! I just touched it and then it pulled back together like a magnet", Snow said," It was so peculiar. I believe this also could've awakened my magic but I'm not too sure yet".

Nova hummed," I'll have to speak with my mother about this at some stage", she said," She's more knowledgeable with all of this than me. She might also help with 'whoever is after you' issue. Since she likes you a lot more than the rest of the Auradon's Royal Council".

Snow smiled," I think that may have had more to do with Maleficent being my Fairy Godmother for that short span of time", she said fondly.

" WHAT?!", Mal and Evie shrieked.

Nova and Snow jumped at the shriek, the former's translucent wings appearing from her back in her surprise. The fairy eyed the stairs where her niece had been hiding for a while.

" Mal? Come here", Nova said sternly.

The fairy and the princess had the decency to look sheepish as the former's aunt stared them down.

" How much did you hear?", Nova asked.

" Starting from when Snow said she was on the run", Mal said sheepishly," Sorry for eavesdropping".

" I'm sorry too, Ms Dahl", Evie added.

Nova frowned," I'm not mad, neither am I disappointed. But if you wanted to hear, I would've let you come down here", she said," I was just in such a shock my wings popped out".

Mal, Evie and Snow giggled as Nova's wings fluttered gently, glowing like her own skin did.

" Evie dear, do you want to come over? This is essentially your family we're talking about", Nova asked.

" I... I wouldn't mind", Evie said nervously," But how will I get there?", she asked.

" I could create a portal", Snow said shyly," You're in your dorm room at the moment, yes? I could open up a portal from there to here".

" Are you sure you want to try this, Snow?", Nova asked.

" I got myself from Old Charmington to here safely. No trouble for transporting someone else, maybe", Snow said as she directed her hand towards the wall where an electric yellow portal showed up.

" Wow", Mal said eyes widened.

It was different seeing Snow's magic than hearing about it as Mal watched Evie walk in cautiously but in awe.

" You can do magic", Evie said awe-strucked.

Snow smiled sheepishly," Just barely...", she said modestly," Don't you know how to?".

Evie shook her head," I don't have magic", she said.

Nova tilted her head," Are you sure? Your mother's a sorceress, I thought you'd inherit her magic", she said.

Mal looked her best friend curiously," E, did you actually ever TRY to use your magic?", she asked," I mean. Ever since you got to Auradon you've always kept yourself occupied with other things like me and the boys, your fashion line, Doug and school. Maybe it... just didn't occur to you that you could do it".

Evie blinked and looked deep in consideration. Mal had a point, there had never been a peaceful moment in Evie's life where she could actually ponder on the idea of having powers. Of being part of the lineage of Magi, the children of Hecate like her mother was.

Evie looked at the discarded tea cup on the table before wordlessly clenching her hand into a fist, maroon sparkles appearing at her fingertips. The cup shattered out of nowhere.

" Crap!", Snow swore as porcelain pieces rocketed around the table, nearly stabbing her leg.

" Well there's your answer", Nova said with an impressed smile.

" I may be having an existential crisis rigjt now", she said in shock.

" Same here", Mal whistled.

" I have magic", Evie muttered," Holy Hecate, I have MAGIC!".

" Congratulations Genevieve. Just wait until you meet your familiar", Spirit said appearing beside her.

" Oh gosh, so I wasn't hallucinating", Evie said as she stared wide-eyed at Spirit.

" Far from it girly", Spirit said smirking.

" Not helping", Mal muttered as she sat next to her friend, minding the broken cup pieces," You okay, E?".

Evie blinked," I think I am... I don't know. I'm really tired right now. Mind if I go back to my dorm room?", she asked.

" Of course", Nova said sympathetically," Snow?".

The queen summoned another portal and Evie numbly walked into it, disappearing into the other side. Mal reached her hand out in concern but Snow placed her own hand on the fairy's shoulder.

" Mind if I give a try and talk to her?", Snow asked.

Mal would have protested but then came to a halt. Snow had found out about her powers as well, meaning she and Evie would have a much similar circumstance. Mal was born knowing magic was a part of her. Evie on the other hand...

Mal nodded numbly, causing Snow to give her a reassuring smile.

" I'll be back sometime next week, Nova. Take care, Mal", Snow said patting the girl's shoulder lightly before stepping through the portal before it closed behind her.

" I hope your friend will be okay", Nova said worriedly, using her wand to levitate the broken cup towards the bin.

" Evie might just be in shock right now. She just needs time. Besides, I think Snow talking to her would do her some good", Mal said as she looked back at Nova.

The older fairy smiled," You two have a cute friendship by the way", she said smiling.

Mal returned the smile before a question popped up in her head," Hey? Was what Queen Snow said earlier true? That my mom was her fairy godmother", she asked.

Nova nodded," Yes, Malef was Snow's fairy godmother for a few months", she said," I'm surprised Snow remembers. She was incredibly young at the time".

Mal frowned," What changed then?", she asked.

Nova scowled as she thought about the incident that may have been the catalyst to start Maleficent's descent into evil.

" There was sabotage and betrayal", Nova growled.

* * *

March 12, 2019

 _Dear Ellie_

 _Hello my sweet, psychotic chocolate cake. It's been a while. Six years to be exact. I'm sorry I haven't replied in so long. Auradon had kept me busy, more specifically, those pompous royals have_.

 _I met our son today. Sharp kid. Got my good looks too! Made me want to cry a boatload. But I still see a bit of you in him. Have you taken your meds lately, dear? Because he mentioned some stuffed dog you called 'baby' while we were talking. Jace and I had an agreement he'll be watching you take them. Incompetent idiot_.

 _Ellie, please know it was never my intention to leave you and Pup. Somehow the Auradonians thought they could rehabilitate me if they took me away from you. This county's filled with idiots. One day me and Vinny will break you and Anarka with her kid out of that island and we'll head straight back to London. Or even go somewhere else. I've always wanted to take you and Pup to Wasteland. I heard their king is very unbiased. Perfect place for our family, am I right_?

 _Even after all these years, I still love you dear. The people may reprimand me for taking on your last name and the name may leave a stint in my rep sure. But I'm proud to be your husband. No family curse or biased angry beast with daddy issues will stop that_.

 _I love you so much. And please take your meds again, dear_.

 _Your beloved husband_

 _Harry_

End of Chapter 11


	12. Chapter 12: Malevola

**I wrote this chapter on a whim. So there's like a tiny time jump, so it's the afternoon after Snow and Evie leaves.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Malevola

" Are you sure I look okay?", Evie asked.

" You look fine, Eve" Mal said reassuringly.

They were waiting out in Auradon's town square, waiting for Snow and Nova to come back for their walk.

It was Snow's idea for a lunch in town, after the eventful night they had. And Evie had suggested inviting Jay and Carlos. That part itself had made Mal excited. Since Nova had appeared, heck, ever since cotillion, she hadn't spent as much time with Jay and Carlos as she had in the Isle. Her life had just become... busy.

" Hopefully those two are on their way here and not being distracted by video games", Mal said exasperated.

Evie smiled," Have faith Mal. Carlos will at least pay attention to the time while playing. And he can pull himself and Jay in line. I'm sure they'll be here soon", she said.

Mal smiled, sighing wistfully," Yeah", she said.

" And to think, in just three days I'd finally get to meet that mysterious twin brother of yours", Evie teased.

" Har Har", Mal laughed sarcastically," Hadie is not mysterious. He practically wears his heart on his sleave... for certain people", she said.

" I'm just excited for you", Evie said smiling," You get your brother, Jay will see Jade and Carlos will see Diego, Jace and Harry again. You'll be reunited with your close families again", she said wistfully," While I'm not sure about mine".

Mal smiled sadly," To be fair, most of my memories with Hadie are from when we were little, before our parents split. I don't know him so well anymore", she said before frowning," Didn't you ask your mom about your dad yet?".

Evie shook her head," No no... I'm too... afraid. I'm afraid to ask her", she said.

" Why?"

" I don't know. Expectations? I've always had a vision of my dad but... I'm not sure. I've long learned things that you dream up will never be on the same level of real life", Evie said sighing," I just don't want to be disappointed".

" You will always end up being disappointed, E. It's a part of general life", Mal said as she relaxed on the bench.

Evie bit her lip, looking extremely unsure of herself.

" How about this? Later, the four of us head to the Isle and visit your mum. You ask your questions and find out about your dad and we'll go on from there", Mal suggested.

" You think she'll answer?", Evie asked.

" We won't know until we ask", Mal said.

" Won't know until we ask what?"

Mal and Evie jumped in surprise as a voice emerged from behind them. They scowled as they saw Jay fall back in laughter at their fright.

" Jay! You scared us", Mal exclaimed.

" Sorry girls. Couldn't resist. Now answer my question", Jay said as he sat in between them on the bench.

" We're heading to the Isle later. Wanna come?", Mal asked.

" Sure. I needed to visit my old man anyway", Jay said," Why the visit though?".

" Evie's gonna ask her mom about her father", Mal said.

" You don't know him?", Jay said confused.

" No. Did you ever meet your mom?", Evie asked.

" ...My mom lives with us- or with my pops I mean", Jay said awkwardly.

" Wait, really?!", Evie said standing up," How come I've never seen her?".

Jay shrugged," She hasn't left the house for a few years on her own", he said.

" There's also the factor that you've never been to Jay's house too", Mal mentioned," If you had, you would've met his mom".

" Oh... is she nice?", Evie asked.

Jay grinned," You wouldn't believe someone like her would marry my father", he said.

" You never talk about your mom?", Evie said.

Which was true. But up until now Jay never had much reason to bring up his mother or father.

" Never had a reason to. It might have made me homesick", Jay said.

The girls nodded, understanding Jay's reason for avoiding the topic. Mal didn't usually bring up Hades either. Occasionally when people asked, she'd give a short answer. But most of the time, she tried not to think about him.

Evie frowned as she noticed something extremely off," Jay... where's Carlos?", she asked.

" I thought he was with you guys", Jay replied.

" He texted us and said he was with you", Mal said crossing her arms," We should call him".

" Way ahead of you", Evie said as she typed away on her cellphone," It's ringing...".

" **Hello?** "

" Carlos! Where are you?!", Mal exclaimed.

" **In Auradon** ", Carlos replied.

" Don't be a smartass, pup, it ain't gonna work out", Jay warned.

" **Look I'm nearly at the place. Why don't you head on over there and I'll sit with you guys the moment I get there** ", Carlos said reassuringly.

" You didn't answer our question 'Los", Jay said.

They could hear Carlos sigh through the speaker," **I'm with someone really important.** **And no, you can't ask who. I want it to be a surprise** ", he explained.

Mal sighed," Alright, we'll meet you there. Can't wait to meet your guest, Pup", she said before Evie ended the call.

* * *

Blue eyes scanned the map laid out on the table, practically glaring at the calligraphic bold print of **United States of Auradon** , like it was hoping the map would just burn with his intense stare.

He rubbed his hand over his face in exhaustion, the light tan skin practically glowing against the lamplight.

(He felt his anger grow again as his mind flashed back to what happened more than twenty years ago. Had he had a choice, he would have never wanted to involve himself in that war)

" You know, glaring at the map won't send the country to burst into flames, brother", a cheeky voice said from the doorway.

The man turned around to find another man leaning against the doorway in a relaxed fashion. He had a small grin on his face and a plate of food and a glass of drink in his hands.

" Mrs Beakley mentioned you skipped breakfast this morning", the other man said as he set the food down on the table and sat in the adjacent chair.

" Thanks", the man murmured quietly.

" Now what are you doing down here all by your lonesome self, baby brother", the other man asked.

They were nearly identical. Jet black hair, button noses, azure blue eyes. You'd think they were twins. But in actual fact, the other man was a couple of years older and had a much paler complexion compared to his baby brother's tanned one.

" Nothing... just needed a moment to myself", the man said quietly.

The other man tilted his head his head in a concerned fashion," This is about me heading to Auradon, is it?", he said.

The man bristled at the mention of the kingdom. His brother smiled reassuringly at him.

" I'll only be gone for two days", the other man said reassuringly.

" I know...", the man groaned.

" And I'll have my remote on me all the time", he said reassuringly," There won't be any villains there anyway. No adventure or fun, just a royal business trip".

" Ozzie, I don't give two craps about the villains, you know that. It's those royals I'm worried about", the man said getting up and drawing the curtains open. The sky was clear and blue, but for a moment, the man's mind flashed back to when dark tentacles would shoot out of the dark skies and attack him. He shivered for a short second," They'll hound you for information about me like they did with Julius and the De Vil family".

Ozzie snorted," True but I have something Julius, may his soul rest, doesn't have and that is **pure, unadulterated rage"** , he growled.

The man smiled," And Uncle Ub thought I would be the temperamental one", he said chuckling.

" Well to be fair, you CAN have a temper when someone pushes their luck", Ozzie said teasingly," Like Mortimer with Minnie".

" Oh Dad, don't remind me. Poor Mort won't look me in the eye anymore and Min's still laughing about that whole ordeal", the man said embarrassed but laughed along with his older brother.

" Just... be careful, okay. I don't trust a lot of those rulers. Especially Beast", the man said after the laughter died down.

" Yeah yeah. Stop worrying. That's my job. Worry anymore and I might have to send you to stay a week in Warnerstock with Bugs and his brothers to loosen up", Ozzie said teasingly before smiling," But really, I'll be fine. And if you're worried about work, Ortensia and Scrooge will be helping you".

The man sighed," Okay. I'll try to stop for a bit", he said," Just be careful. I don't I could run Wasteland permanently".

" I will"

" And Oswald?"

" Yes, baby brother"

" ...I love you..."

Oswald smiled softly at his baby brother, who he once resented for being their father's favourite but now he couldn't imagine life without him.

" I love you too, Mickey"

* * *

Nova gazed about at the pastel interior of the cafe they were currently inside of. Snow had insisted they take the kids here, on the account that this cafe served the best cakes in Auradon.

Now the cafe wouldn't have bothered Nova in the slightest had it not been for one small little detail.

The cafe was situated in Auroria Valley.

Nova could see the discomfort on Mal's face and how realisation slapped Snow across the face. The queen apologized profusely and Mal accepted it humbly before asking if they had something that included strawberry.

But Mal wasn't the only one uncomfortable. Nova herself had felt her wings tingle in unease at being so close to the Rose family. Not many people were aware of her relation to Maleficent but Nova continued to be on edge for the time. So to keep herself occupied, Nova had taken to getting to know her niece's best friends.

" I never gave fashion or science much thought 'til I got to Auradon", Evie said," It was all about snagging a prince with a huge castle".

" Your mom didn't encourage it", Nova said with a raised brow.

" Well... she didn't discourage it either", Evie said picking at her skirt," She was more into helping me get a rich husband who could provide me a comfortable life".

" Did she teach you how to murder him afterwards?", Jay asked teasingly.

Evie scoffed," 'Course not! ...That's where she herself comes in", she said.

Nova chuckling," Pulling a Constance Hatchaway, I see", she said.

Jay and Evie looked at her confused," What's a Constance Hatchaway?", Evie asked.

" You don't know the story?", Nova said surprised.

The Isle teens shook their heads.

" Constance Hatchaway. She was known publicly as the Black Widow Bride, murdering her husbands the first night of their honeymoon with a hatchet. With their deaths, she took their fortune and fled to new states and countries every marriage to find herself a new victim/husband", Nova explained.

" Woah", Evie said quietly.

" That is gold-digging on a whole new level. I'm impressed and a little disturbed", Jay said eyes wide.

" What happened to her?", Evie asked.

" She was killed roughly 80 years ago. Her very last husband was secretly a pirate and he didn't go down without a fight. She got killed with her own hatchet and he later took his own life", Nova explained ending the story.

" Damn... karma strikes again", Jay laughed.

" Karma slapped her in the face, that's for sure", Nova snorted," She despises sea shanties now".

Jay and Evie ignored how Nova spoke of Constance in a present tense, as if the bride was still around.

Mal stood in line while Snow had went back to Nova and the others. Her green eyes gazed over the menu as she decided what order for herself. She had already gotten everyone else's order, she only had herself to worry about at the current morning.

Then she felt a chill travel up her spine as she felt someone's glare fall on her.

 _Audrey_

" What are _you_ doing here?!", the spoilt princess herself said.

Mal steeled her nerves, she didn't want to set more plants on fire," This is a public place, Audrey, anyone is allowed here", she drawled boredly.

Mal saw out of the corner of her eye Nova approaching them, a look of concern and murder on her face.

" Everything okay here, girls?", Nova asked politely.

Audrey sneered at the sight of Nova. The princess hadn't even cared that this was Blue Fairy she was facing. All she saw was a relative of a villain who attacked her family..

" Don't pull your face like that, Audrey, it's very unprecedented for a 'princess'", Nova said sternly," You'd think that brat of a mother of yours would have at least taught you manners".

" Excuse me, but what did you say about me"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, or she in this case. Princess Aurora strolled in, a look of hate clear on her face. By now, Evie, Jay and Snow had come over to diffuse the situation.

" Aurora, please don't", Snow pleaded," We're just trying to have a relaxing day".

" Snow, don't involve yourself. This is between me and the witch's daughter", Aurora said her eyes firmly on Mal.

Mal flinched and Nova growled. No one was going to demean her sister nor her niece in her presence.

" Careful with your words, Aurora, I don't follow Auradon's Laws", Nova sneered.

" That's Princess Aurora to you"

" You are no princess to me, mortal", Nova said bringing her wand out.

" Oh shit, the wands out. Shits about to get real", Jay whispered.

" Okay ladies, cool down. We don't want to cause panic in this fine establishment", Snow said calmly.

Mal never been more grateful for Snow White's presence.

" Too late for that, Snow. The cricket-snogger already did damage", Aurora hissed.

" THAT'S IT", Nova roared.

Mal's eyes widened as Nova's wand sparked dangerously. She was even more surprised by the genuine look of terror on Audrey's face.

" **ENOUGH!** ",

The cafe came to a standstill and fortunately, Nova had calmed quickly as soon as she heard the voice, not quite but enough for the wand to die down.

Mal, Evie and Jay had looked curiously at the newcomer. It was a short, old woman dressed in red and black, whose dark complexion was littered in wrinkles. She held her staff firmly as she stared the two undisturbed women down. But what truly stumped the teens was the woman's hair. It was black and white.

She was a De Vil.

" Ma, what's going on?"

Confirmation of their theory came in the form of their beloved friend Carlos de Vil, who was followed in by a heavily pregnant woman in pigtails.

" Carlos!", Evie yelled.

Carlos noticed his friends and looked at them with concern," What happened?", he asked.

" A lot", Mal sighed.

The old woman glared at Aurora with enough sharpness to make people nearby, including Mal, Evie and Jay flinch.

" Princess Aurora, I see your etiquette hasn't improved since moving back in with your parents", the old woman sneered," I doubt your father would be amused if he finds out his daughter is causing a scene with someone who's held in high regards in the magi society and a princess of Fantasia".

" Who are you?", Audrey asked.

" My name is Madeline 'Malevola' De Vil. I am the mother of Eloise Bella Donna De Vil, publicly known to you heathens as Cruella De Vil. And a grandmother to this fine young man known as Carlos Oscar De Vil", Malevola said curtly," I'm also your grandfather's attorney so I'd watch your mouth if I were you, child, unless you'd like to be written out of his will".

Mal took a little satisfaction in seeing Audrey flinch the way she did. But many things still baffled Mal about Malevola's words. Why would Stefan hire the mother of a villain to handle his legalities? Why didn't Carlos tell them of his family since it seems clear he knew about them for a while?

" Why would my father listen to you?", Aurora asked.

" Because if I'm being honest with you, I know more about him than his own wife does", Malevola stated," Stefan trusts me to handle all his legal things along with his secrets. If there's anyone who Stefan trusts more than himself, it's me".

Aurora glared at the old woman vehemently. However, Audrey looked more unsettled than ever.

" Now Aurora, I think it would be in your best interests that you and your daughter leave these kids be. Unless you want your father, who unlike that devil mother of yours doesn't mind having the Isle children here in Auradon, to hear the news of you cursing at a minor and causing a scene with someone from Magic Royalty", Malevola said firmly.

" You're bluffing"

Malevola pulled out her phone and showed her, as clear as day, Aurora's father personal number," I don't bluff, **Briar Rose** , I make promises", she growled.

Aurora fumed angrily before letting out an annoyed huff," Come Audrey, we're leaving", she said.

" But mom!"

" Now Audrey!", Aurora yelled

Audrey visibly flinched at the tone of her mother's voice, clearly not used to her mother yelling at her. Mal watched pitifully as the pink princess scurried after her mother. It reminded her of something...

Malevola clicked her tongue," That woman... too much like that bratty mother of hers", she muttered before turning to the VKs," Well, what are you gawking for? I'm an old woman, my knees aren't what they used to be. Can we get to our seats please?".

" I... I still need to put our orders", Mal mumbled, still struck speechless.

* * *

They all sat down comfortably after Mal brought them their treats from the counter. The VKs (minus Carlos) were still a little unsettled by the entire thing while the adults chatted as if they were old friends. But that didn't mean the friends weren't going to try.

" I'm sorry but we didn't catch your name earlier, miss", Evie said as the young lady turned to look at Evie.

" Oops! Silly me. I thought Carlos already told ya. My is Ivanna De Vil, but I mostly go by Ivy", the lady said happily.

" She's my cousin. Her dad's my mom's oldest brother", Carlos explained.

" I'm also the head of De Vil Fashion and 5-time beauty pageant winner", Ivy bragged.

" You've been in beauty pageants", Evie said in awe.

" When I was a kid, yes. But I stopped around 10, when Auntie Ellie got arrested for stealing the Dalmatians", Ivy explained," Besides it can get difficult trying to match colours with my hair".

" Dude, I feel you", Mal said twirling a lock of her hair," I can't wear certain colours because Evie would get a fit because it doesn't match with my hair".

" Hair problems", Jay coughed in his fist.

" So 'Los, when did you meet your family?", Mal asked," You never told us anything".

Carlos chuckled nervously," I met them back in March, two months ago. I met my dad too...", he said.

" You met your dad", Evie said softly," Why didn't you tell us?".

Carlos shrugged," I didn't know when would be a good time to mention him. You guys had a lot going on and I had so many questions for him and everyone... but at least I finally got to it", he said grinning.

" Does Jane know?", Mal asked as Snow's phone rang.

" I... haven't told her anything yet. I'm just trying to secure a few things", Carlos said nervously.

" What?", Mal asked.

" He's busy securing his trust fund and inheritance. He wants to impress his girlie with his new fortune", Ivy said grinning lazily.

" Ivy!", Carlos whined.

" Wait. Inheritance? Fortune? You're leaving something out here, Pup", Jay said looking deeply at his best friend.

Carlos opened his mouth to answer butthe sound of a phone clattering onto the ground brought everyone's attention to a paler-than-usual Snow White, whose face was one of disbelief.

" Snow...", Evie said worriedly as Nova tried to talk her friend out of her shock before the princess felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She brought her phone out and gasped at the message, hand covering her mouth as she paled.

" E?", Mal said concerned as she stared at the message on the screen in shock," ... We need to head to the Isle right now", she said firmly.

" What happened?", Carlos asked.

" The Evil Queen was murdered", Mal replied.

End of Chapter 12

* * *

 **This chapter was a struggle and a half. But I promise the next chapter won't be as cluttered.** **Next chapter would be fully Audrey centric. With the appearance of Stefan. But unlike other Descendants stories, where they use Angelina Jolie's Maleficent's Stefan, I'm using my own characterised version of Stefan that leans more on Sleeping Beauty's Stefan's demeanor.** **As for Mickey and Oswald, you'll learn more about them later ;)**


	13. Chapter 13: Behind Castle Doors

**Sorry for the long wait. Here's your chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Behind Castle Doors

The ride home was silent.

Audrey looked out the limousine window to see the lovely rose bushes and trimmed trees around her. She frowned when she looked back at her mother, whose face was twisted in an ugly scowl.

When they stopped in front of the castle, Aurora was the first to get out, Audrey following her awkwardly behind.

" Mom?", Audrey said gently.

" Not now, Audrey", Aurora hissed as she stalked upstairs. The slam of the royal's bedroom door resonated through the castle.

Audrey sighed as she looked around the rather empty castle with boredom.

" No friends to talk to since they're all busy, Mom's mad. What to do, what to do?", Audrey mumbled to herself," I wonder if Grammy's busy...", she said to herself before heading to her grandmother's study.

Audrey's heels clicked against the tiled floor of Castle Rose as she headed in towards her grandmother's study. But not even a foot or two away from the room, she could already hear her grandmother yelling at some idiotic soul for doing something not _approved_ by Queen Leah. Audrey pitied the poor soul.

" WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LOCKED ME OUT OF HIS ACCOUNT?!", Leah shrieked.

" Y-Your Majesty... he saw the amount of money you were pulli-"

" BUT I NEED THAT MONEY! IT BELONGS TO ME", Leah said angrily.

" I-I-I'm sorry my queen. But that's something you need to bring up with K-King Stefan himself", the servant stuttered," I'm just the accountant".

" YOU LITT-"

" Grammy?", Audrey said peeking into the study.

Leah ceased her yelling before glancing at Audrey in the doorway. Leah let a graceful smile grow on her face as she turned her attention to Audrey. That smile could fool anyone, but not Audrey.

She knew a _fake_ smile when she saw one.

" Audrey darling, did you have a nice tea with your mother?", Leah asked 'kindly'.

" Actually Grammy, we-"

" I'm sorry that I have to cut this short, dear one but Grammy's busy with important things at the moment. Why don't you read through your etiquette books again. After all, a king wants a wife with proper manners after all", Leah said smoothly.

Audrey wanted to argue that Ben left her for Mal who hadn't an inkling of what proper manners were but wisely decided to keep her mouth closed. No use in arguing if she was just going to get in trouble for it anyway.

" Of course, Grammy", Audrey said softly before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Another sigh escaped her lips as she trudged her way back upstairs. Things hadn't always been like this. Where did her life go wrong?

Before she knew it, she entered the family wing of the castle, her face looking at the floor, so she hadn't noticed the person a few feet in front of her.

" Why the long face, sweetheart. I thought you'd be happy to see your grandfather after this long year",

Audrey looked up in surprise and immediately brightened," Pop-Pop!", she squealed.

King Stefan grinned as Audrey ran into his arms, laughing as he twirled her around in his arms like he used when she was younger.

" Oof, my back", Stefan groaned.

" Oh no, are you okay, Pop-Pop?", Audrey asked concerned.

" I'm fine sweetheart", Stefan said chuckling," The ol' back ain't just what it used to be", he said jokingly.

Audrey smiled fondly. She adored her grandfather Stefan. He had left for a year-long trip, missing the coronation and the cotillion. He hadn't given them a proper return date so Audrey was honestly surprised to find him back home.

" How was the travel?", Audrey asked," You must be tired, Pop-Pop", she said.

Stefan waved her off," I'm a little fatigued but that's part of the adventure, the rest afterwards is worth it. Besides, I'd rather catch up with you. So anything new happen while I was gone?", he asked.

* * *

She told him everything.

From Ben's first proclamation, to the arrival of the VKs, to Audrey and Ben's breakup and Ben's fast recovery to dating Mal, then the Coronation fiasco and then Ben getting kidnapped before the Cotillion by the pirates of the Isle to Mal and Uma's fight to recent events.

All the while, Stefan listened passively while drinking his nutmeg tea.

" -And that's what happened so far", Audrey finished with a annoyed huff.

Stefan calmly placed his tea cup back on the coaster before pouring himself more tea with a calm expression on his face. He sipped his tea again before speaking again.

" I actually don't think it was a bad idea. Ben's proclamation", Stefan said honestly.

Audrey looked aback at her grandfather's confession. Her jaw practically dropped at his admittance.

" But Pop-Pop, they're the children of villains, our enemies", Audrey reasoned.

" So?", Stefan said confused.

Stefan _genuinely_ didn't see what the problem was with the whole situation.

" Their parents are evil. They are evil too", Audrey said.

" So they're evil because of the people who raised them", Stefan said with a raised brow.

Audrey nodded stubbornly with her arms crossed.

" Then I guess Queen Snow White and Queen Cinderella are evil as well", Stefan said smugly.

Audrey sat up straight," They're not evil. They're good, they're heroes!", she said defensively.

" But they were raised by villains! Ah, so what's their excuse", Stefan said," Snow White never met her birth mother, Grimhilde was the only mother figure in her entire life. Cinderella was raised by Lady Tremaine even after the girl's father died. Are they evil?".

" No...", Audrey said quietly.

" So parenting has nothing to do with it", Stefan said," Audrey, I have done my fair share of exploring. I've seen how certain circumstances can break the sanest person into the most dangerous lunatic. It's not about DNA, Audrey, it's about circumstances", he said wisely.

He continued," People react differently to circumstances. One may react passively, or indifferent, or even aggressively. Say you're the king of a prosperous kingdom, but the kingdom falls into ruin because of said king's younger brother unwittingly releases a powerful monster and in the act of containing the monster, the king loses the love of his life. He has every reason to turn evil and enact revenge on his brother. But he doesn't. He may be bitter and mean to his brother, but he doesn't let that bitterness overcome him. Instead he helps his brother make up for his mistake and the kingdom is saved", he explained.

" What's the point of this?", Audrey asked.

" The point is that anyone would've lost their minds if they were to fall prey to bad circumstances. But- anyone can also pull through those circumstances and come out stronger than before. But not everyone is always strong enough. Remember that", Stefan said," I don't know Mal or Evie or Jay. But I've met young Carlos. And he's a perfectly mentally stable young boy. I do see a bit of Cruella in him, but I don't think he's evil", he said honestly.

Audrey looked down in deep thought as she contemplated her grandfather's words. He had made some extremely valid points... not that she'd tell him that.

" Honestly Leah must've imprinted that nonsense in your head. She always was a close-minded one that woman", Stefan said with a slight edge in his voice that Audrey began to become familiar with when her grandfather addressed her grandmother.

" Enough of the negatives, Pop-Pop. I wanna hear about your trip! What was Warner Kingdom like? Are the people there really as crazy as everyone says they are?", Audrey asked curiously.

Stefan snorted," I wouldn't say crazy. A little daft for letting a 14-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 9-year old rule a kingdom but they did bring the kingdom out of an almost unrecoverable recession which is something even most older kings and queens can't boast about", he said with an awed smile," They utterly impressed me, those Warner siblings. You would've liked them Audrey, darling. They may annoy you at first sure, but you'll find yourself growing attached", he said chuckling," And hey! You're only two years older than the eldest. If things don't work out with Cindy's boy than I'm sure Yakko would take interest. He likes older women anyway so he told me...".

Audrey giggled at her grandfather's rambling. It was always the littlest details that fascinated Stefan.

" And oh yes! Before I forget. I got you a few things from my travels", Stefan said excitedly as he picked up a satchel," A friend of mine helped me pick these out for you".

Audrey smiled and leaned in curiously to see everything her grandfather brought home for her.

The gifts were fairly exquisite. A hair combfrom the Zag County, a pink diamond encrusted tiara from Warner Kingdom ( " A gift from Yakko", Stefan teased) and seeds of a rare flower only grown in Nickelodia's underwater society. But there was one last thing that intrigued and confused Audrey than any of her other gifts.

It was an old leather book, a journal by the looks of the complicated lock mechanism on it. It was decorated in red gemstones and obsidian beads with silver edges around the corners of the cover. While Audrey wasn't usually one for books, there was something odd and unique about this particular book that piqued at her curiosity.

" The merchant who sold me this told me he found this book in the old ruins of Bald Mountain", Stefan said fascinated.

" Bald Mountain? That mountain where that legend about a giant demon living inside it came from", Audrey said with a raised eyebrow.

" The very same one", Stefan said," The people of Bald Mountain were secretive beings. No doubt this book is filled with interesting things", he mused.

" How do you get it open?", Audrey asked.

" That's where the annoying part kicks in. I haven't figured out exactly HOW to open it", Stefan huffed," I hoped you would be able to help, a fresh set of eyes is always good in certain situations".

Audrey hummed," Maybe. I have the rest of the afternoon free. Maybe we can figure out how to open it tog-"

" _Ahem"_ ,

Audrey jumped when she heard someone new clear their throat. Both king and princess turned to address the newcomer and found Queen Leah standing before them, the latter staring at Stefan.

" Stefan"

" Hello Leah", Stefan said calmly.

" I wasn't aware you were coming home today", Leah said smoothly.

" Didn't want you to be", he said shrugging.

Audrey looked between her grandparents and all she felt was the cold _fury_ and deep animosity between the two that made her tense up. Stefan had a deep scowl on his face as he glared at Leah, whose eyes showed little to no warmth whatsoever.

" Audrey, sweetheart, why don't you head over to your room? I need to have a chat with your grandmother", Stefan said calmly.

Audrey nodded, but only because the hatred burning in her granny's eyes _scared_ into retreating the room, gifts in arms.

She slammed her bedroom door shut and subconsciously locked it behind her. She shuddered a breath as she remembered her grandmother's eyes. Audrey gently placed her gifts except for the book which she clutched harder against her chest.

She made her way over to her bed and sat down on it while staring at the book. She ran her hand down it slowly but hissed when her finger touched a small, jagged piece of the silver.

" Shit", Audrey cursed under her breath as she caressed her now bleeding finger.

A drop of blood came from the cut and dropped on top of the lock of the book. While Audrey moved to go and take care of her hand, the book began to shake and glow vibrantly.

She saw the glow from the corner of her eye and gasped as the book flew open and something shot out of it like a cannonball in a cannon.

Or rather, _someone_.

Audrey looked at the being before her with caution and apprehension as the being stretched out _his goddamn huge-ass wings_. When the wings finally settled, Audrey could finally see the being's face.

Clearly a young man, looked to be in his early to mid-twenties if Audrey estimated correctly. Sharp jawline with a light tan skin complimented him well. His golden blond hair looked extremely _fluffy_ from where Audrey stood and gawked. His wings resembled that of an owl. Last shocking feature were the carmine red orbs that were his eyes.

To be frank, he was rather handsome _for a man with wings_.

He seemed dazed for a full minute before he finally addressed Audrey, who looked appalled by his state.

" Uh... Hi there?", the man said awkwardly.

'This is going to be a long day', Audrey thought tiredly before the scene fades to black

End of Chapter 13

* * *

 **I know it's not my best but I wanted to get this out pronto**

. **So The New Guy (shall be named as such until I reveal his name) is a character from my old deleted Descendants fic called 'Demonic Glory'. For those of you who have read and remember the main character or downloaded the story from the app probably already know who this is. He's still got the same name. He's a very important character here and the key to Mal's problems**. **Next chapter: The VKs arrive on the Isle**.


	14. Chapter 14: Return to the Isle

**_Can I first say that I'm EXTREMELY SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. With the virus and me recently going back to school, everything has been a whirlwind. But things have calmed a bit and I'm ready to start updating again._**

 **So this one's a bit of doozie. A lot's happening in this and I hope I can get the pacing right for this.**

 **Regarding last chapter, I'm not shipping Audrey with New Guy. Hell to the no. I can see WHY one guest thought so and I give my sincerest apologies for that. Incest isn't something I'm comfortable with as well. I'm also not a fan of huge age gaps. New Guy's around 25 in this and I made Audrey a year younger than Mal, so that's an 8-9 year difference. NOPE NOT GONNA HAPPEN FOLKS. YOU CAN PUT YOUR PITCH FORKS DOWN AND END YOUR CALL WITH THE FBI. WE ARE NOT HEADING DOWN THAT ROAD**.

 **Anyway, that aside, let's begin this chapter folks**

* * *

Chapter 14: Return to the Isle of the Lost

Jay never quite took Snow White to be this stubborn.

The rest of the lunch was postponed, unfortunately, upon hearing of Grimhilde's demise. It seemed that trip to the Isle would happen sooner rather than later.

Which was what brought them to this argument.

" Snow, you can't go to the Isle!", Evie argued.

Snow huffed, hand on her hips as she glared at her step sister," And why not? Grimhilde is my mother as well. I don't see why I can't join you", she argued back.

" The Isle is filled with thugs and dangerous lunatics! That's no place for a queen", Evie said.

" That's hardly a good reason", Snow said crossing her arms.

" We don't even know how strongly the villain's will react to you there. Both you and Nova!", Evie said.

Snow wasn't the only one who wanted to tag along. Nova expressed interest along with Ivy. Carlos had immediately shut down Ivy's request and Malevola had surprisingly backed him up.

" You have week until you enter your third trimester, Ivy. There's no way you'd be able to safely cross to the Isle", was Carlos' argument and that had effectively shut Ivy up.

Mal hadn't spent much time and energy on arguing with Nova, since she wasn't too worried about her aunt's wellbeing and how she will take to the Isle. Nova was a fairly intimidating woman, despite her soft features. And Mal would bet on her future crown that the villains are aware of the Blue Fairy's relation to Maleficent. So there wasn't much to worry about if she took everything that could go wrong into account. Worse case scenario, Mal would just ask her dad to keep her aunt company if things did turn ugly.

Evie, however, was not having Snow's stubbornness.

" The Isle is dangerous"

" And yet you're going!", Snow argued.

" I have to! She's my mother!", Evie yelled.

" She's my mother too and the only mother figure I ever had!", Snow yelled back.

Evie was taken aback," You-"

" My own mother died at child birth and Ferdinand's mother died two years before I met him of lung cancer. I have been surrounded 80% of life by men and Grimhilde was the only female I ever considered my mother. Now she's gone. I, at the very least, want to say the goodbye I've been deprived of saying for the last 20 years to her", Snow said frowning deeply.

Mal winced, had she not had that dream she had, she may not have known what Snow was talking about.

" ... I don't see why she can't tag along", Jay said quietly.

" Jay...", Evie said carefully.

" Look, I know the Isle, maybe even a little better than all of you. Which is why I have a... kind of solution. Snow and Nova, if you two are willing of course, can stick with my mom. She's got immunity among the Islanders because she's physically weak and my dad will go ballistic if he finds out someone hurt her. She's a big safety net and a lot more saner than Cruella. You'll be safe and still be in good company", Jay explained.

Everyone was silent as they stared at Jay who looked back at them with confusion," What?", he said.

" Jay, that is literally the smartest thing I've ever heard you say", Carlos said in awe.

Jay scowled and gave Carlos an annoyed smack behind his head, which the shorter boy laughed off.

" So it's the four of us, Snow and Nova", Mal said as she counted.

" Not quite", Malevola said as she turned to Carlos," While you and Ivy were busy squabbling, I took the liberty of asking your father to accompany you to the Isle".

" Ma!", Carlos exclaimed in embarrassment.

" To be fair, you did tell him the next time you head to the Isle, you'll go together", Ivy said shrugging," Besides, we De Vils feel a lot calmer around our lovers. It's the curse's weakness".

" Not that again...", Carlos muttered.

His friends looked at him weirdly for his reaction to what Ivy said.

Malevola huffed," Well, we should get going, Ivy. Carlos, your father will be here to pick you all up in a minute. Come, Ivanna", she said exasperated.

" Have fun, Carlos! And tell Auntie Ellie I said hi!", Ivy said cheerfully.

Carlos sighed," Will do...", he said tiredly, as he watched them leave.

" What was that all about?", Mal asked.

" Just an old family tale", Carlos said exasperated," Take that last thing Ivy said with a pinch of salt".

Mal took a glimpse at Nova to her side and saw her aunt merely shrug. That didn't sit well with the teen.

" At least we get to meet your dad. Is he nice?", Evie asked.

Carlos smiled," Yeah, he's really great. Like Jay's mom", he said fondly.

Evie pouted," Okay! How have all of you seen Jay's mom and not me?!", she said crossing arms with a huff.

* * *

Ben fiddled nervously with his hands under his desk in his office at his family's castle.

He was meeting with the King of Wasteland.

Wasteland, despite the name, was a rather prosperous kingdom bathing in riches. The king was a stubborn man with a temper that could rival his father's.

But that wasn't what intrigued Ben. What interested Ben was Wasteland's rather successful villain rehabilitation project.

During the unification of Auradon's kingdoms, there were plenty of kingdoms who rejected unifying with Auradon. And Wasteland was one of them. Instead of imprisoning their villains, Wasteland sought to help villains reintegrate into society as more 'neutral' members at best.

That project could possibly help speed up the process of bringing more Isle kids to Auradon. And if proven successful... then Ben could perhaps move on towards the villains. Perhaps starting with the ones who were locked on the Isle due to association like Mr Smee...

" Such a deep thoughtful expression for a boy who's only been king for a few months"

Ben looked up in surprise at the appearance of the middle-aged man before him.

" My arrival was announced but you were so deep in thought, you hardly noticed, young king", the man said cheekily, bowing forward a little," King Oswald Iwerks of Wasteland".

Ben smiled sheepishly as he stood and bowed too, than proceeded to shake Oswald's hand," It's an honour to meet you, sir", he said respectfully.

" The honour is all mine, King Ben. I've been looking a bit forward to this meeting myself", Oswald said smiling.

* * *

 _A little white lie had never hurt anybody_.

Oswald really wasn't looking forward to the meeting.

It wasn't that he despised Auradon with a boiling hot passion like his younger brother, who would shout and scream that Auradon was messing with the very laws of magic itself but later turn somber as he remembered he technically **helped** Auradon become what it was currently. No, Oswald didn't hate Auradon, he merely felt that the place was... unnatural.

Oswald was raised around magic and so was all his siblings, friends and his friends' friends. His brother had an actual apprenticeship with Master Yen Sid for Kahl's sakes! Though they were much different from typical wizards or sorcerers, magic ran through their body like blood. Oswald was taught both the arts of light and dark magic and reached an honorable skill level and later learned to fuse magic with technology. It was his one of the greatest moments of his life.

And Auradon thought he'd toss that all aside... for what? His heritage was practically built on magic, his kingdom was based and laid with magic- heck he and his brothers were **made** with magic. Auradon thought they'd toss all that away... for unification. Yeah, no. Wasteland was not unifying with any kingdom any time soon. And much to Oswald's delight, he was not alone. Arendelle and Motunui had rejected the offers.

Then there was the place itself. Auradon was drastically different from Wasteland. In ways Oswald felt were more disturbing than intriguing. In Auradon, people were polite, too polite to the point it felt fake. The pastel colours of the houses, the clothing, the public areas in general was an eyesore. And though it may look like an ideal society, Oswald could see the magical residents got the short-end of the stick. The population of Neverland fairies had dwindled through the past twenty years.

Professor Von Drake had told him if the rapid population decline remained the same in the future, then the idea of Neverland fairies going extinct wouldn't be impossible, which meant the seasons would stop changing.

' Is there anything Auradon hasn't messed up with yet?', Oswald thought bitterly. Then he snorted,' If the emperor of Fantasia were here, he would've blown a gasket', he mused.

Which was true, Emperor Ezekiel Magne wasn't known for his rare mercy nor his patience.

While there were things about Auradon that unnerved Oswald, it's new king is making rather bold decisions that, in his eyes, looked rather promising. So who was Oswald to deny the kid at least a meeting, even if he was going to deny the offer of unification.

Though as Oswald looked at Ben before him, he could've sworn he'd sense something... magical inside the boy.

" You must have been cooped up in this office for quite a while. Perhaps we could go outside, take a walk in the garden as we discuss things", Oswald suggested.

Ben agreed and got up from behind his desk. Both kings walked out of the room and headed towards the castle gardens. Oswald eyed him critically from the side. It seemed like this meeting would be interesting after all.

* * *

Evie needed a distraction. She needed something to distract her from her mother's death. And she hoped meeting Carlos' father and maybe Jay's mother would offer good ones.

She felt her excitement and nervousness grow as Carlos pointed out one of his family's limousines heading in their way. Excitement for meeting someone new and nervousness as she realised the time to see her mother was drawing closer.

" So how many limousines does your family own, 'Los?", Jay asked.

" Only 4. This one specifically belongs to my dad", Carlos pointed out.

Jay whistled quietly, impressed.

" Exactly how wealthy is your family, Carlos?", Mal asked.

Carlos shrugged," Uncle Vendetta said we're in the top ten richest non-royal families in the world, so we're rich", he said.

" Whose the richest family?", Jay asked.

" You have an uncle named 'Vendetta'?", Mal said confused.

" Vendetta's not his real name. It's a moniker. Everyone in the family has one. His real name's Vincent. Jay to answer your question, it's some Scottish guy from Wasteland. I think his name is Scrooge...", Carlos said as the limo pulled up in front of them.

The door of the driver's seat opened and a well-dressed old man stepped out. He grinned at Carlos," To and return trip to the Isle of the Lost, Master Carlos", he said teasingly.

" Hi Mr Reginald", Carlos said returning the grin.

Reginald smiled," Your father is waiting. He's rather excited to see your mother again", he said.

Carlos chuckled," I'm sure he is. I just wonder what her reaction'll be when she sees him", he said.

Reginald smiled reassuringly," Well, I can say for certain she won't be angry with him or you, that's for certain", he said confidently before opening the back door," Your ride, ladies and gentlemen".

They all thanked the man gratefully before getting into the vehicle.

When everyone got in, the teens were greeted by a middle-aged man. The resemblance to Carlos was immediately recognized, freckles sprayed all over his face. His hair was a dull auburn with small gray hairs starting to kick in, similarly to the short beard on his face.

" Huh, I thought you'd look scarier", Jay said thoughtfully.

" Jay!", Evie exclaimed mortified while Nova, Snow and Carlos laughed in the background," I am so sorry, mister. I'm sure Jay didn't mean what he said, right Jay?", she hissed out the last part.

The man waved it off," It's fine. Most people who meet me think the same thing, he's just one of the few to say it out loud", he said snorting," You three must be the Evie, Jay and Mal my son likes to talk about. Harold De Vil, it's a pleasure to finally meet my son's best friends. Hopefully I'll meet his girlfriend next", he said side-eyeing Carlos who looked away sheepishly.

" It's nice to meet you, Mr De Vil", Mal said with a smile

" Please Lady Mal, Harry is fine. Mr De Vil is my father-in-law", Harry said pleasantly.

" You took Cruella's last name", Evie said surprised.

Harry smiled," I did. I preferred hers over my own", he mentioned.

" Doesn't that give you a lot of problems?", Jay asked curiously. While he personally saw the name De Vil carry a lot of power, being connected to a villain also meant a lot of problems

Harry grimaced," It does bring a few problems. A lot of people are quite vocal about how they feel about my marriage", he said.

" Sometimes they get a little more than vocal...", Carlos said with bitter anger.

It happened for a short second but Mal could've sworn Carlos' eyes flashed red before turning to normal when his father squeezed his hand.

' That's new', Mal thought. She would ask him about that later. Mal turned to her aunt to notice her expression soured. And Snow White didn't look too well either.

' They know something', Mal thought inwardly.

" Malevola informed me the news about Grimhilde. My deepest condolences for loss, ladies", Harry said as he addressed both Evie and Snow.

" Thank you. It's much appreciated", Snow said gratefully as did Evie.

" I met her once. During my time on the Isle. Had a couple of things to say about my scruff", Harry said chuckling," Cruella had shut her down immediately. Told her her 'hubby wasn't something to brag about. At least I had my good looks'", he said.

" When was that?", Mal asked.

" Roughly about 17 years ago. I remember Gaston's first daughter being born that same day", Harry said thoughtfully," I think you three were already born around that time".

" So you've lived on the Isle before?", Evie said.

" How else would I have Puppy over here?", Harry said messing his son's hair .

" Dad!", Carlos said with a pout.

" But yes I have. I stayed there for about 10 years before Auradon fished me out of there because my birth family demanded my bail", he explained with slight bitterness," They thought with Cruella out of the way, I'd finally get around to marrying 'a true upstanding lady' instead, so I told them to sod off. Beast wouldn't let me go back to the Isle so I had decided to stay with my in-laws and run the business side of House of De Vil for the family".

" So what happened with your birth family?", Evie asked curiously.

Harry shrugged," Cut off contact with them. And everyone made sure I was never in the same area as them. I believe they eventually moved to Agrabah for business", he said calmly.

" Coming onto the Isle of the Lost, Mr Harry", Reginald said from the front.

" Thanks Reginald", Harry replied.

Snow bit her lip nervously as she stared out the window at the darkness around them as they moved past the barrier. She was beginning to feel rather nervous.

The limousine came to a stop to what looked like one of the old warehouses that lined up near the wharf. The car doors unlocked and everyone climbed out.

" What is that horrible stench?", Nova asked with a grimace.

" Probably the weekly barge. This is one of the warehouses near the wharf if I'm not mistaken", Mal said as Reginald opened up the trunk of the car.

" Does it always smell bad here?", Nova asked.

" Well it's kinda a variety, I guess. Town Square has a more expired food smell while the Huns camp smells like the dead, the wharf has a rotting bad fish smell all throughout the year and I'm pretty sure the underground smells a lot like urine and possible mercury remnants", Mal said as she remembered.

Snow grimaced at the descriptions. Nova was correct in her exclaim, it smelled horrible here.

" You can stay in the limo if you'd like", Evie said.

Snow shook her head," I've come this far, it would be useless if I stop now", she said as she stood her ground.

Evie smiled," Okay, that's fine. But I have to warn you, it's all down hill from here. We're gonna be surrounded by villains", she said.

" I'm not afraid", Snow said confidently," I will handle this with the exact amount of faux confidence Grimhilde ingrained in our heads".

" Right", Evie said grinning.

Nova chuckled, it was easy to see they were raised by the same person.

" So where to first?", Harry asked as Carlos wheeled him away from the car in a wheelchair.

Jay, Mal and Evie did a double take at Harold in a wheelchair but quickly brushed it off like they haven't been caught off guard.

" My father's junk shop is a good place to start. Mom's always at home so we can hop over there before heading to Evie's", Jay said.

" Alright then, let's get to it", Mal said with a clap of her hands before the group made their way out into the streets of the Isle.

End of Chapter 14

* * *

 **If you weren't aware, Mr Harry De Vil is an actual 101 Dalmatians character. He appeared in the original book under 'Mr De Vil' and in the musical, he received the name Harry. It's also true that he did indeed take Cruella's last name. In the book, he is considered evil, but in a cowardly kind of way as he was on the same level as Jasper and Horace, a minion if I'm not mistaken (Like the Le Fou to Cruella's Gaston). But I made some significant differences: 1 being that Harry is now more neutral than evil, he's not at all afraid of Cruella and is wheelchair-bound (why, you'll find out later)**.


End file.
